


Hellworld: Survivors

by JustaGuy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Warhammer 40.000, Warhammer Fantasy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different Worlds, Blood and Gore, Child Soldier Conscription, F/M, Gen, Monsters and Daemons, New Titan Powers, Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 177,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustaGuy/pseuds/JustaGuy
Summary: Hellworld. A place no man should ever come across. It is a world of monsters, daemons, madman, and corruption that could make the sanest man go mad. Those whose bloodlines were not effected by the Founding Titan (except the Ackermans) or learned the truth of the world behind the walls where sentenced to a fate worse than death. The government of the Walls takes them away and sends them through a portal to Hellworld with no way back. Those who live on Hellworld renounce their old home and have built the Terran Imperium to keep the monsters from exterminating them all. Now, Bertholdt Hoover, Warrior of Marley, is pulled into the terrifying world. With only one objective on his mind, he plans to do whatever it takes to return to the real world and back to his Warriors. To do so, he must first survive as evil lurks all around him.
Relationships: Bertholdt Hoover/Annie Leonhardt, Bertholdt Hoover/Original Character (OC)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 51





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have always loved Attack on Titan and the Warhammer Universe. I've been thinking about this for along time and with a push from my brother and encouragement from many fic writers, I decided to write it. This will follow the Attack on Titan storyline but it will eventually diverge from it. For Warhammer fans, characters from fantasy and 40k will be together. This is a different universe and there will be some Warhammer-based Titans I made as my own. I hope you all enjoy. Shout out to my brother and favorite fic writer YoroiNoKyojin for encouraging me. Hope you enjoy.

_“I hate them. I fucking hate them. Why did this happen? I don’t understand.”_

_“What is there to understand? They are savages, monsters, neanderthals. They don’t change. I don’t think they ever will.”_

_“WHO THE FUCK CARES? THEY KILLED OUR FAMILY. THEY TORTURED HER AND IT PUSHED PAST THE BRINK. SHE ASKED ME TO KILL HER FOR GOD’S SAKE.”_

_“I guess I will never understand. How easily these people put aside their humanity. I guess living behind walls all your life really does dull the senses of change and emotion.”_

_“I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill them all.”_

_“Wait. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PUT THAT DOWN!”_

_“……no.”_

_“STOP THAT. YOU ARE CUTTING IMPORTANT MUSCLES AND VEINS.”_

_“I said no”_

_“WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT YOU IDIOT?”_

_“I want to remember their names. All who wronged us. All who participated in the extermination of our family. The person who killed her. The one I loved with every fiber I have. If we survive, I vow that I will bring judgement on them. Carry out vengeance and justice. IT’S WHAT THEY DESERVE.”_

_“…………”_

_“There is nothing you can do to change my mind, so don’t throw that ‘they can change’ crap at me. You know they can’t, and they never will.”_

_“You’re right. I will make a vow as well.”_

_“What?”_

_“You heard me. Just as you vow to hunt down those who wronged us, I vow to change the people of the walls. If we survive, that’s what I’m going to do even if it leads me to my death. That’s what mom would have wanted.”_

_“Fine. They are breaking down the door. Are you ready brother?”_

_“Yes. This is for Mom and Dad, Grandpa, and Marissa.”_

_“Wait a minute. What is that noise?”_

_“What’s going on? Why is there electricity flowing around us?”_

_“I don’t know. This doesn’t seem natural.”_

_“What’s happening? AHHHHH!”_

_“BROTHER! Are you okay?”_

_“IT HURTS!!!”_

_"Just stay still. It may hurt less."_

_“BROTHER! WATCH OUT!”_

_“AHHHHHHHHH!”_  
  
“BROOTHEEERRRR!!!”

……

Bertholdt Hoover awoke as he heard a loud noise in the room. He quickly sat upright and surveyed the building. Once he was done looking around the room and listening closely to the sounds of his room, he finally calmed down. Much to his dismay, his sweating only increased. _Dang it. Will this problem ever go away?_ Bertholdt thought to himself as he grabbed his sleeve and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

_Yep. One of the ‘many’ honors of being a Warrior. Especially the Colossal. Way to go Bertie._

He tried to fall back asleep on his makeshift bed of tossed around clothes and bags, but he was too uncomfortable. It was miracle he even fell asleep in the first place. Normally, his nightmares would keep him awake but strangely he was having an okay sleep until he heard the sound.

 _Reiner._ Bertholdt quickly looked over to his left to find his best friend and comrade Reiner Braun on his side peacefully snoozing away. Bertholdt let out a sigh and rose to his feet and began making his way to the door on the other side of the room. Of course, he had to step over all the sleeping people on the floor. All of them were refugees from Shiganshina and the other villages with Wall Maria.

Many of them came to this building that used to be a meeting center for the people of Trost. Since it was a place big enough to house many of them, it was donated by the willing Trost executives to lend it to the now homeless people. The downside was that it was downright crowded, and it seemed that they were all cattle being herded together without any notice or warning that there may be no space. However, at this time, the refugees would take whatever they could get. Anything was better than being eaten by the Titans the Colossal Titan let in. _The ones I let in._

Bertholdt quickly erased the thought. He was a Warrior and that was a part of his mission he had to execute. He was here to find the Coordinate Marley so desperately desired and return it to them and as a reward, he and his mother (and he uses the term loosely) would become Marleyan citizens and never again be treated as the ‘devils they are.’

Bertholdt reached the door and quietly opened it and let himself out. It was night out and the cool breeze brushed his exposed skin. It was a nice coolant for him especially with his above average body temperature. He walked over to a bench outside of the building and just sat down on the edge.

Using this time, he took everything in. Here he was, in the walls of the Eldian devils he was descended from. Back in Marley, he was trained and taught that his race was a curse and a plague that stained the world with their evil. They were taught that the Marleyans were the true heroes of the world that stopped the evil of the Subjects of Ymir and the Devil of All Earth. This would motivate most Warriors to prove themselves to be free of their Eldian blood and they would become aggressive wielders of the Power of the Nine.

Bertholdt secretly didn’t believe in any of what Marley taught him. He always believed that if the Paradis-Eldians and the Marleyans sat down and talked, he was confident that they could work something out and blame the wars of the past on those of the said past. However, pride and prejudice were always an anchor that kept human dignity to a near low. Both believed they were in the right and Bertholdt was pretty sure that neither side would say they weren’t. Such was the nature of people of this time.

He then thought about everything that led him here. He remembered being a 6-year-old boy who loved to watch the ocean and explore the small forests at the edge of Liberio. He was always gawking at the animals that he saw roam the forest and smelled the beautiful flowers that grew in the meadow. Many said he was a pansy and a loser but Bertholdt was gentle by nature. That all changed when his father taught him to start shooting. Bertholdt trained for weeks on end to perfect his marksmanship instead of exploring like his heart desired. When he asked his father why he was forced to learn this, all he got was a sad look and the routine response of “You will need this in your future.”

Such cryptic messages always angered him but not to the point to where he got angry at him. He was his dad and he loved him. The day he got sick was when everything changed. He coughed more and started bleeding from his nose and mouth. Of course, no Marleyan doctors would help him and Liberio doctors didn’t have to tools to help him. So, they left him in a bed in hopes of it passing but Bertholdt knew that miracle would never come.

Then his mother signed him up for the Warrior Program. His mother was always pushing him to sign up so she could get the reward she deserved. Bertholdt always loved his mother but he was sure that the feeling was not mutual. His mother always saw him as a nuisance that she wanted out of the house as soon as possible. It sadly didn’t surprise him when his mother without hesitation basically sold him to the Warrior Program so she could possibly be a true Marleyan.

For someone so gentle and shy as he was, the program was a nightmare for Bertholdt. Being pushed beyond his physical and mental limits, Bertholdt was broken down and remodeled to be the ‘worthy’ wielder of the Colossal Titan. It was terribly ironic how the kid who cherished life the most was given the ‘God of Destruction’ as a title. Thankfully, Reiner was there with him to make it less terrible.

Now he was here; responsible for so much death and destruction. He was responsible for all of these people being crowded in a shelter. He was responsible for the death of families. He was the reason some children would never see their parents again. He was…

“What are you doing out here?”

Bertholdt snapped out of his thoughts and jumped up from the bench. After his shock evaporated, he did his best to cover the blushes of embarrassment from the stern face of Annie Leonhart. She was also part of the Warrior Unit and wielder of the Female Titan. She was the real warrior of the group as she could single-handedly take out many combatants because her fighting skills were at their peak. Many times had Bertholdt and Reiner put ice on their faces because of the enigmatic badass that was Annie Leonhart.

She also happened to be Bertholdt’s crush of a lifetime. Though many saw her as a closed off bitch who wouldn’t let anyone come anywhere near her, Bertholdt saw a beautiful short girl with shining blonde hair that shined in the moonlight. Others would fear the icy glare and her uncaring personality but Bertholdt saw past that. Since his personality was to enjoy the sight of everything, Bertholdt couldn’t help but madly fall for her. He would always sweat whenever she was around and would be stupidly staring every time she walked by. He just hoped that Annie didn’t know about his feelings. Reiner always said he should just confess but Bertholdt pretty much knew that a confession would most likely put him in a coffin.

Well; maybe not that far since he was a fellow Warrior, but the results would still be pretty close.

“S-S-Sorry. I heard a loud noise and I..uh..couldn’t fall asleep, so I came out here to get some air. Plus, it’s a beautiful night so it’s a nice night because it’s a beautiful night that is nice and uh…” Bertholdt was mentally kicking himself for getting lost looking at her blue crystalline eyes. His consequence was that he was stammering and lost his train of thought. He was sure he was blushing like an idiot.

Annie just shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of the bench. “It’s nice I guess.” She turned away and just stared up at the clear night sky. Bertholdt should have been cool and just looked back at the sky with her but his face was stuck looking at her beautiful face. He swore her face was literally glowing with beauty. Luckily, two men were walking by and disrupted his action.

“So…uh…how are you settling in..um..in the place? Are you adjusting well?” Once again, she shrugged without turning her attention to him. “It’s nice I guess.”

 _I guess that’s all I’m gonna get from her tonight._ Bertholdt thought. However, Bertholdt could tell something was on her mind. He could tell because she was fiddling with her ring. Bertholdt guessed that it was a ring given to her by her father when she left to start the mission. Of course, this is what he assumed because he was pretty sure no boy gave it to her. She wasn’t approachable back in Warrior training.

_Well maybe she was secretly seeing someone. She did sometimes look at Marcel a lot. I mean, who could not fall for Marcel. Even Reiner thought he was cool. If not, there were a lot of other boys around. Maybe she opened up to someone. I mean they all looked good. What girl would pass up one of the strong guys for a shy lanky guy like me? Who could possibly do that?_

“Are you adjusting well?” Bertholdt snapped out of his trance of insecurity and quickly wiped his forehead of the sweat that was pouring like a waterfall at this point. Bertholdt turned to find her looking at him which made his heart skip a beat. “Who me? Yeah. Of course. Though I feel like I’m stuck in a pig pen because it’s so crowded. Not to say that everyone smells. Okay, some people smell nice. B-But I don’t purposely smell them because that would be weird.” Bertholdt’s mind felt like it was kicking a dead horse as Bertholdt struggled to regain whatever composure he previously had; which was basically nonexistent at this point.

However, Bertholdt heard a giggle coming from her. At that moment, Bertholdt felt his whole body melt as he heard her giggle and see her smile slightly. She looked so damn beautiful. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Bertholdt forced himself to take a breath and reclaim his composure. “Yes. I’m settling in well.”

Annie turned back to look at the sky and went back to her regular void look. Bertholdt also noticed that she went back to fiddling with her ring. Bertholdt could tell that she was scared and possibly worried that she would never see whoever gave the ring to her.

“Hey, are you ok? Do you miss your dad? Is that why you’re messing with your ring a lot?”

In that instant, he quickly regretted asking that question as the most beautiful girl turned to him with the coldest glare, he had ever seen from anyone. “That is not your concern.” She got up and started walking away. Bertholdt immediately sped after her.

“I’m sorry. You just seemed worried and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m sorry I said anything. I know it can be stressful especially with what we are doing so I just thought maybe..” Annie then turned and once again felt the shear anger pierce his skin like knives as she glared at him.

“You do not get to ask me that. Especially not you of all people.” Bertholdt felt like one of those piercing knives went directly through his heart. The girl he had pretty much liked since he started his time as a Warrior was blaming him and he didn’t know why.

“What have I…. what have I done to make you think that?’ Bertholdt managed to squeak out. He could feel his face paling as the small but frightening warrior moved closer. He could tell he was going to feel the venom she was going to spit at him.

Annie stared into his eyes. “Because of you, we aren’t going home.” Bertholdt was at a loss for words. How could she accuse him of that? It was Reiner’s idea for them to go through with the mission after Marcel’s death. More than anything he wanted to go home. Annie must have caught wind of what he was thinking because she balled her fists quickly. “You agreed with Reiner to keep going with this mission. Because of your lack of spine and inability to think for yourself, I may not see my father again. I may never see my home again. All because you don’t have the guts to do anything by yourself. Face it. All you were ever good at was shooting and being a good boy and doing whatever they said. That’s what you are. A dog who doesn’t want to disobey his master and because of that, I’m probably not going to make it home because you’re a damn coward.”

And with that, she turned and walked off in a huff. Bertholdt just stood there unable to move or think. Hell, he probably couldn’t breathe. He wanted to run and tell her it was not true but sadly, he knew all she said was the whole truth. He was a coward. He was spineless. He wasn’t dependent. He was perhaps a disgrace to all the warriors before him. All because he didn’t want to start a conflict or make decisions for himself.

Bertholdt looked at her walking away. _At least you have someone waiting for you at home. I guess I’ll never know what that feels like._ Bertholdt turned and walked the opposite direction to give her space.

Just then he heard a gunshot coming from an alley. He quickly ran for cover and looked around. He spotted a man on the ground, and he didn’t seem to be moving. _Oh no_. Without thinking, he ran to see if the man was okay. He leaned down to check his pulse. Luckily, his father was a doctor so Bertholdt picked up a few tricks from him. His breathing was normal and stable. Unusual for someone who had just been shot.

 _Wait a minute_. Unfortunately, Bertholdt reacted too late as a club hit him hard on the leg and sent him sprawling on the ground. Bertholdt yelped in pain as his brain was processing his surroundings and he noticed the man on the ground steadily rise from the ground.

“I can’t believe someone fell for that.” He joined the thug with the club as they slowly advanced towards the crawling young boy. “This brat is clearly not from around here.”

Bertholdt kept crawling and knew for a fact that he should not transform into the Colossal Titan even though something inside told to do it immediately. He kept crawling until his hand touched a boot. He looked up and saw a huge bearded man with a sword in one hand and chains in the other.

“Word of the wise kid. Whenever you are in a city like this; don’t be a hero. Heroes die in these walls fast.”

Bertholdt did not have time to process what that meant before the bearded man’s foot kicked him hard in the head, knocking the warrior into a painful blackness.

……

As the thugs picked up the unconscious 11-year-old child and began walking away, they were unaware of a hooded figure with a mysterious staff observing them. He had observed the entire commotion of the tall one’s night.

_It begins. The Time of Ending foretold since the first strike of the hammer begins._

He then turned and vanished into the night leaving only a trail of smoke where he stood moments before.


	2. Warrior Lost

_“HOOVER! FRONT AND CENTER!”_

_Bertholdt quickly stepped forward from the row of the five chosen Warriors and stopped in front of Commander Theo Magath. At his side stood Warchief Zeke, who was calmly looking at him and pushed his glasses up to better observe Bertholdt. “Warrior Cadet Hoover reporting.” Magath gave him the signal ‘at ease’ and Bertholdt fell back into attention._

_“As you know, you have been chosen to wield the most dangerous Titan Marley has to offer the Warrior Program. We have chosen you not only for your marksmanship and ability to follow orders, but your caution and vigilance of your environment makes you the best candidate. Simply speaking, you know how to wisely conserve your power and temper. The Titan you are about to inherit has been observed to have an increased sense of aggression unlike the others. Your seemingly nonviolent personality is what befits you to be the perfect candidate. Congratulations.”_

_“Thank you, Sir.” He acted normal but deep down he was terrified. Not only was he chosen to have a 13-year lifespan forced on him, he was getting the most dangerous and destructive Titan they had. Bertholdt was not ready for this. He wanted to vomit right then and there but he swallowed the bile in his mouth and stayed still._

_“Now, Zeke will take you to the chamber. There you will be injected with the Titan serum and be transformed. Then, you will gain the power of the Colossal Titan and be well on your way to becoming an honorary Marleyan. Now Cadet Hoover; are you ready to become a true warrior?”_

_Bertholdt gulped hard. “Yes Sir.” Magath nodded and looked at Warchief Zeke. “Come with me Cadet Hoover.” Zeke moved to the door behind Magath and opened it. He motioned to Bertholdt and he quickly followed. Together, they walked down descending stairs that led to the floor down below. Bertholdt thought of it like a dungeon he read about in a book once. That only made his fearfulness worse as it reminded him that nothing good was at the bottom. No gold or beautiful princess; a monster that could destroy cities in a single transformation. This caused Bertholdt to briefly stop in his tracks. No matter how hard he tried his legs would not budge._

_“Cadet Hoover. Is everything alright?” Zeke looked back at him._

_Bertholdt looked at his Warchief and thought about lying, saying everything was good. He wanted to say he was full of excitement and honor of being chosen. However, what he learned with his time with Zeke was that nothing could fool him. Bertholdt decided that it was best to just come clean._

_“Forgive me, Warchief. If I’m being honest, I’m…...scared. The talk of the Colossal Titan being more aggressive and knowing what it is capable of, I’m scared of wielding it. I…..” Bertholdt’s voice trailed off as Zeke walked back up the stairs and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright Hoover. We are alone. You are free to speak your mind. I will keep whatever you say strictly between us.”_

_Bertholdt could tell he was being sincere, which gave him the confidence to continue what was on his mind. “I…I don’t want to have that power. It’s just not who I am. Every other Warrior’s Titan seems to fit them. The Jaw Titan is fast which suits Marcel’s quick thinking. Reiner’s Armored Titan can take a beating like he can. The Female Titan is agile and built for combat, which is what Annie is feared for. Pieck’s intelligence goes well with the Cart Titan because it can be used in so many ways. But me, I’m not someone who destroys. I’m weak and mild-mannered as some put it. But mostly, I don’t have it in me to actually kill anyone. Heck, I cried almost every time my father made me kill a deer for rifle training. I’m not built for this Titan like you and the others are. I feel like I will just end up being a failure like everyone believes me to be.”_

_He bowed his head in shame. It was the truth he had always known his whole life. He was no Warrior. He was no hero. Even being granted the ‘privilege’ to wield the most powerful Titan, Bertholdt felt like he was nothing._

_“Bertholdt. Believe it or not, I get it. When I stood on these steps before I gained my Titan abilities, I was scared. Commander Magath always belittled me when I was a young Warrior like you. He always said I wasn’t meant to be there, and I was nothing more than a sad little kid. Even when I proved him wrong and was chosen to wield the Beast Titan, I was scared like you are now.” Zeke removed his hand from Bertholdt’s shoulder and motioned him to continue following him down the stairs. Bertholdt followed feeling a bit more comfortable. “But my predecessor said something to me on this very staircase that made me who I am today. He said that every Warrior is his own Warrior. No person is truly ever the same and that the traits other see as flaws are actually the true strength of the Warrior. Now, I say that to you Bertholdt. You’re right. You’re not as tactical as Marcel, committed as Reiner or as strong as Annie. However, you have something that is rare in a Warrior. A heart. You know what is right and what is wrong. You have the gift of being able to do the right thing even if the results are dire. Because in my book, a Warrior is only as strong as his heart. After all, without a heart, a Titan can’t be wielded can it?” Zeke smiled as Bertholdt’s fear began to slowly drift away._

_They arrived at the bottom of the stairs. They reached a door and Bertholdt knew that whatever the Colossal Titan was waiting behind it. Before his hand reached the door handle, Zeke once again grabbed his shoulder. “I believe in you Bertholdt Hoover. I know you are going to use this power the best you can.”_

_Bertholdt nodded and looked at Zeke with a rare face of pure confidence. “Thank you Warchief Zeke. I promise I won’t let you down.” He grabbed the door handle and opened the door that held his destiny._

_……_

“Rise an’ shine little man,” said a voice before Bertholdt felt the sheer cold water drench his face. Bertholdt sat up immediately and coughed up all the water that went into his mouth. After that, he rubbed his eyes to see what was going on. Once his eyes focused, he saw a bald man sneering in front of him and holding the now empty bucket. He then looked around to find himself in what seemed to be a ruined house. There were holes in the wall and the torn-up furniture everywhere.

“You’re finally awake. I’m really surprised how long you slept. You slept through the whole entire trip last night. I don’t know who will want to buy you if you are a lazy sleeper.” The man then kicked Bertholdt right in the lungs. Bertholdt keeled over and began coughing violently. “But of course, there are many ways to make that change. I would say that it would be best if you changed that.”

“That’s enough Valmir. Leave the kid alone. No one will take him if he has bruises all over him. They’ll think he can take a beating,” said a voice from behind the man that was Valmir. Bertholdt looked up to see the familiar bearded man approaching them.

Bertholdt took a closer look at him. He was tall and very muscular compared to the other Eldians he had seen in the walls. Bertholdt guessed he was probably an ex-soldier because his words seemed to be backed by experience. He also guessed that because it was clear Valmir would like nothing more than to beat Bertholdt more, but he seemed scared of the man.

“You’re going soft Leonardo. We need to teach these soon to be slaves some discipline. That way they think twice before escaping. If I were in charge, we would have no runaway attempts like we keep having,” Valmir said. Leonardo just shook his head and crossed his arms as he looked over to Bertholdt. He narrowed his eyes to study him and then looked back at Valmir. “I’m sorry Valmir. I have trouble remembering. Wasn’t it you who sent three of YOUR men to kidnap a woman and a girl at their house? Ended up killing both the father and mother? And correct me if I’m wrong; didn’t YOUR men get easily killed by some doctor’s boy and the girl YOU intended to abduct?”

Bertholdt was not the master on picking up underlying insults but it was pretty clear that Valmir was being told big time. He wanted to smile a little to see his tormentor being told off, but he knew better. Valmir just growled and walked past Leonardo. Leonardo just smiled and once again looked at Bertholdt. He went over a kneeled down to get a better look at him. “You alright son?”

Bertholdt kept his mouth shut. Of course, he wanted to say that he wasn’t but after the rude introduction of Valmir, he didn’t want to say anything. Leonardo just sighed and helped Bertholdt on his feet. “You can say nothing if want. I was going to offer to look at the bruises, but you can play tough all you want. I don’t care. You’re not going anywhere so if you finally say you want it checked out, you can say so.” With that, he led Bertholdt out of the darkness of wherever he was and into the light.

He was then outside of the house and took a minute to observe his surroundings. He saw a group of four men around a fire slow cooking a pig over it. That made Bertholdt hungry but he quickly focused his attention elsewhere to ignore the feeling. He saw two other men feeding the group’s horses and saw another leaned against a tree with a rifle. Finally, he saw two other men standing guard over a cage that held about five other children in it.

Leonardo led him to the cage. One of the men guarding it opened the cage and Bertholdt was pushed in it. He tripped and fell right into one of the kids, knocking him down. Leonardo then turned away and went towards the fire.

“Hey. Are you okay?” asked the kid Bertholdt was currently on top of. He had dark hair and freckles were dotted all over his face. Two other kids helped Bertholdt up and caught him when his battered body almost gave out on him again. The freckled boy then stood up and walked closer to Bertholdt. “You look beat up. Jerrod, give him some of our water. Sam, Bridger, maybe you should set him down against the cage. Margaret, lets see if we can do anything about his bruises.” Everyone did as they were told as Bertholdt felt himself leaned against the wooden cage. The freckled boy took off Bertholdt’s shirt and the girl Margaret tore a piece of cloth off her shirt. She dipped it into the water that Jerrod brought them and began wiping it over Bertholdt’s forehead. Jerrod then gave the bucket to Bertholdt as he immediately took a large drink from it. His throat was parched, and he was glad he finally had something to drink.

After he licked his lips from their dryness, he looked at everyone around him. “Thanks,” he said in a low voice. The freckled boy smiled at him and out a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s the right thing to do and we have to look out for each other right now,” the freckled boy then moved away as Margaret cleaned his chest of dirt and bruises.

Bertholdt turned to the freckled kid. “What’s your name? Where are we? Who are these people?” The freckled boy leaned up on the cage next to him. “My name is Marco. Marco Bodt. I don’t actually know where we are, but I imagine we are somewhere around Wall Rose right now. And as best as I can tell, these guys are a bunch of snatchers who take children like us and sell us as slaves in the underground market.” _Great. Can’t believe I got snatched by these guys. Idiot._

“You’re burning up. Do you have a fever or something?” Margaret had her hand on Bertholdt’s head. Bertholdt sat up a little more and gently pushed her hand away. “I’m fine. My body temperature is a little higher than usual. Born with it.” Margaret nodded and finished cleaning the rest of his body. “How were you guys snatched?”

“I was taken outside of my home in Jinae,” Marco said. “Margaret was nabbed helping her dad with a patient by the bald guy. Sam and Bridger were taken from a village while exploring and Jerrod was taken from the outskirts of Trost.” Bertholdt nodded and slowly got up on his feet. Luckily, his bruises were healing nicely because of his secret healing factor and it just looked like the bruises were going away.

Jerrod curled up in a ball and put his head in between his arms and legs. “It doesn’t matter. We are going to be sold and work as slaves until we die. We aren’t going to be able to get out of here.” Marco crawled over to Jerrod who seemed to have tears in his eyes. “That’s not true. We are all going to get out of here. All we need to do is come up with a plan.” Sam and Bridger nodded their heads as well as Margaret. “Come on Jerrod. If we work together, we have a chance to go home. Are you with us?” After wiping his tears, Jerrod nodded. Marco then turned to Bertholdt. “Are you with us, new kid?” Marco held out his hand.

Bertholdt knew that he had to escape. He had to get back to Reiner and Annie. He had to help them complete their mission. They had people waiting for them back at Liberio. He was going to make sure they got home, even if he didn’t have anyone waiting for him there. Bertholdt took Marco’s hand and shook it. “I’m in. And my name is Bertholdt. Bertholdt Hoover.”

……

Hours passed as the sun was setting. After going over the plan as quietly as they could, they all took deep breaths and got ready to execute their very flawed plan. After a few minutes went by, Marco signaled to Sam and Bridger; who immediately nodded. Bridger stood up and out of nowhere, punched Sam right in the face. “This is all your fault Sam. If we hadn’t gone down that trail like I said, we wouldn’t have been in this situation.” Sam stood up with an anger all over his face. “My fault? I didn’t want to go exploring in the first place. You wanted to go and impress that girl who worked in the flower shop by finding some dumb flowers to give her. Real cliché. It’s your dumbass affection that got us in this mess.”

This went on for about a few more minutes until the planned fist fight broke out. Bertholdt and the others faked trying to break them up but were loud enough to attract the snatcher on guard duty. “HEY HEY HEY! Knock it off. I don’t want to have to come in there and bruise the merchandise.” At that moment, Bridger ducked and Sam’s fist went through a hole in the wooden cage and hit the snatcher’s face hard. He stumbled back and held his nose with both hands. “You broke my nose you shitheads. I don’t care what Leonardo says, I’m breaking your fucking legs.” The snatcher grabbed his keys and opened the door. The kids backed away as the snatcher pulled out his club to hurt Sam. Quickly, Bertholdt and Marco tackled him, and they went tumbling to the floor. Sam and Bridger grabbed his arms and Jerrod and Margaret his legs as Bertholdt went for the snatcher’s head and held him in a sleeper choke hold. This was one of the few things he picked up back at Warrior Training and was happy that he actually paid attention at that time.

The snatcher tried to struggle and yell, but Marco held his hands over his mouth as the others held him down. Finally, the snatcher’s movements lessened as he soon slipped into a deep sleep. Everyone let go of him and Marco grabbed his club while Margaret grabbed his knife. She offered it to Bertholdt to which he accepted. Any cut may accidently cause him to transform and that would be the last thing he wanted to do so he carefully put it into his pocket. Together, the group slowly left the cage and approached the other guard. With a surge of confidence, Marco swung the club at the snatcher’s head and with a CRACK, the snatcher fell to the ground unconscious. They snuck through the camp as quietly as they could until they reached the horses. Luckily, Margaret cared for horses back at home and got them to quiet down quickly. Bertholdt helped her and Jerrod up on a horse while Marco stood guard. Sam and Bridger then got on their horse and Bertholdt was about to get on his and signal Marco.

“What do we have here?” They turned to find Valmir with his arm around Marco’s neck and an ODM Blade (as Marco called it) pointed at Marco’s chest. “I seem to have found a couple of runaways thinking they could escape. Leo may not be convinced you aren’t a problem, but I knew better. I can’t wait to rub this in his face.” Bertholdt and the others stared at him with horror as he started pushing the blade into Marco’s side. “Be good slaves and get back to your cage. Or perhaps we’ll see if freckles here likes it when I peel every freckle off his face slowly?”

Bertholdt threw his hands up in the air. “Alright, you w-w-win. Let..uh..let me help them off the horse.” He slowly turned to Margaret’s horse to help her down. He signaled to her and when he reached his hand out to grab Margaret, he quietly prayed to whatever divine being or god was listening. He then quickly spun around and threw his knife directly at Valmir, hitting him square in the eye. If Bertholdt ever saw his father again, he was definitely going to thank him for teaching him to throw knifes just as well as he could shoot. Valmir immediately let got of Marco and fell to the floor in agony. He screamed at the top of his lungs as Bertholdt ran over and wrenched the knife out of his eye. He grabbed Marco and ran over to the horses.

He helped Marco up on his horse as he heard shouts arise from the camp. They were close and if Bertholdt took the time to get on the horse with Marco, the men would surround the horses. They didn’t have enough time to escape.

Bertholdt grabbed the club from Marco and started heading into the woods. Margaret led her horse to cut off Bertholdt. “What are you doing? Get on the horse. They are close.”

“Exactly. Marco’s roughed up and I don’t have time to get on it with my tall body. Besides, I’m planning on making lots of noise to make them think we are running on foot and let loose the horses as a diversion. Just in case they have other horses around.” Everyone looked at him with concern. It would be a lie to say that Bertholdt wasn’t concerned himself. “Go. Get home to your families. I’m an orphan. I don’t have a family. You guys do. I SAID GO!” Even Bertholdt was surprised at the confidence and weird bravery that took over him. Margaret leaned over her horse and kissed Bertholdt on the forehead. Bertholdt was shocked and flushed bright red. “Thank you. Stay safe.” Margaret then led her horse around, and Jerrod also thanked him. Sam and Bridger followed her after waving.

Bertholdt quickly made his way towards the trees and turned to see Marco turn to follow the others. He looked to Bertholdt with a smile. “I won’t forget you Bertholdt. I hope to see you again soon to thank you properly.” He then spurred his horse and disappeared into the coming night.

His focus was then recovered when he heard Valmir stop screaming. He heard the snatchers form around him. _Time to move._ Bertholdt started running and used his club to make loud noises around him to draw their attention.

……

 _That fucking son of a whore. I don’t care if he is merchandise, I’M GOING TO TAKE OUT BOTH OF HIS EYES WITH HIS OWN KNIFE._ Valmir screamed in his head as his comrades formed around him. They heard his cry of pain and they all found him on the ground with one eye socket bleeding nonstop.

“What happened here Valmir?” Leonardo emerged from the group and helped Valmir up. Valmir shook his arm off in anger and returned to hold his bleeding socket. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK HAPPENED? THEY ESCAPED AND TOOK AN EYE OUT OF ME!” Valmir shouted as he grabbed his blade from the ground.

“Calm down Valmir. Do you know where they went?” Leonardo asked in a sterner voice.

Valmir growled as he turned to his boss. “Last I heard when I wasn’t screaming in pain was that they wanted to escape on horses. I don’t see the horses, so I think they took them already.” Leonardo’s face turned to anger as he stomped his foot in the ground. “DAMN IT! We are already in debt to the Kabal. If we don’t get them back, we are dead. Or worse.”

Just then, loud noises were heard in the woods to the left of them. It sounded like a group of children moving through as fast as they could. Valmir’s smiled cruelly as he heard the loud commotion that was the merchandise ‘sneaking.’ “They used the horses as a diversion. They are escaping through the woods. We can catch them if we hurry.”

As he started to move Leonardo stopped him. “Valmir. I know you have a vendetta against them, but you are injured. Ex-soldier to ex-soldier, you’re not very valuable if you can’t see with one eye.” Of course he knew he was right but Valmir didn’t give a shit. He was going to make them pay and not having two eyes wasn’t going to stop him. He grabbed a torch from a snatcher and shoved it into his bleeding eye socket. He screamed once again but didn’t move the torch one bit. After a few seconds, he tossed it away and knelt on the ground. He touched his eye and didn’t feel any bleeding but instead a hot scab of burnt skin and blood.

Fuck, it hurt like hell, but the pain wasn’t going to stop him from getting revenge. He stood up and made his way towards the noises. “Come on Leo. Let’s get your merchandise that has caused us all this trouble back. Don’t hurt the tall one. He’s mine.”

……

 _Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? WHY AM I DOING THIS?”_ Bertholdt asked himself as he continued to make loud noises by swinging his club around. With it, he was hitting trees and bushes to draw the snatchers away. Just as he predicted, he saw torch lights and shouts coming from behind him. He was startled by the agonizing scream which he assumed was Valmir. He assumed that they left him so he could heal and get better.

He continued to run and had no idea where exactly he was running to. Once again, Warrior Training prepared him for this as they did long runs all the time. At the end of them, Bertholdt would be so exhausted he would come close to passing out every time. This helped build his speed and endurance, so he was able to keep a good distance from the snatchers.

 _Why am I doing this?_ He asked himself again as he continued going forward. _I should have left with them. I should have let Valmir kill Marco. He’s a devil. They are all devils. They are the enemy. They are the reason I have my shit life. I have a mission to complete and I have about 8 years left to live. WHY AM I DOING THIS?_ No matter how much his mind asked him these questions, Bertholdt could not answer. Actually, he did know the answer deep in his heart but didn’t want to argue with himself as he was running for his life.

 _Why am I doing this?_ At this point, Bertholdt got frustrated and was down with his doubting mind. _I’ve already murdered so many of them at Shiganshina and Wall Maria. I couldn’t let him die. Marco’s a good person. He deserves to live his life. A lot more than I do._ He slowed down a little as he was making his point. _Most importantly, he needed help. I don’t care if I am a monster; I still have a heart. They will hate me if they ever find out but I don’t regret saving him and the others. They are innocent and I am not. Case closed. That is why I am doing this._

Once again, Bertholdt was surprised at himself. Where had all of this come from? Maybe it was the accusations Annie gave him before he was taken calling him spineless and a coward. Maybe it was that no one had given a damn about him in his life except as a Warrior. Maybe he would never know. He was doing this, and he could at least die knowing his possible last act got his ‘friends’ home. His mind seemed to agree and stopped asking questions.

After a few more minutes of running, he spotted a cave ahead of him. Without thinking, he threw his club on the ground and headed for the cave. He hoped there were no predators who lived there or else Bertholdt would truly be finished.

The moonlight lit his way as he made his way through the cave. _There could be an exit._ He continued until he tripped on a rock and tumbled down a slope. He finally landed on his back. His tumble hurt like hell and his left shoulder was dislocated.

“They’re in there. After them.” _Shit_. Bertholdt managed to climb up a rock and began speed walking through the cave. _Wait a minute. How can I see? The moon’s light shouldn’t reach down here_. As he asked that question, he saw green illuminating lights on what seemed to be a hallway. He was curious but kept walking while holding his shoulder.

The makeshift hallway soon led him to a room. At the far end there was a weird circular shaped structure. It looked like a weird shrine. Around Bertholdt were what he could only imagine as small obelisk-like pylons with unknown markings sketched all over them. He looked around but found there was no way out but the way he came. Bertholdt let out a defeated sigh. He then doubled over in pain as his healing factor began to move his shoulder back in place. He couldn’t help but scream as the pain was always unbearable if it was a major wound.

The healing finally stopped just as the snatchers arrived in the room. Many looked around like Bertholdt did while Valmir and a few others marched towards Bertholdt. They soon surrounded him as Bertholdt quickly grabbed his knife and held it out.

Leonardo then emerged from behind Valmir. “Where are the others? I do not want to harm you, but I will have Valmir make you scream if it lures them out.” Bertholdt smiled and laughed. He couldn’t believe it. It actually worked and the others were on their way to their families. _This is what it feels like to do something good._ “They aren’t here. They rode your horses out of the camp and are on their way home. I was just a diversion.”

Leonardo was stunned as he realized what a fool he was. Valmir then grabbed his blade and walked towards Bertholdt with a murderous grin. “Enough Valmir. Despite his damage to our operation, we still need him. The Kabal may give us more time if we deliver him.” Valmir stopped and turned to look at Leonardo. He walked towards him and stood close to him. All of a sudden, Valmir slammed his blade into Leonardo’s throat. Shock filled the room and Valmir pulled his blade out of his throat and shoved it into his chest. “I don’t take orders from you any longer. Die like the coward you are.” He ripped his sword out of Leonardo and pushed him to the ground. Gurgling on his own blood, he stopped moving after about two minutes.

He turned back to the others. “Anyone else?” he said as he raised his arms in a challenging way. No one said anything. Probably because they didn’t want to be delivered the same fate as their now deceased boss. “Good.” He then turned to Bertholdt and began marching towards him. “I have a score to settle with you little man.”

He was closing in on Bertholdt as he saw Valmir grip his blade in his hand. Bertholdt looked up and was amazed to see a hole in the roof of the cave (or shrine. Whatever it was) which the moon shined through. If he needed to, the lightning could come through and turn him into the Colossal and kill everyone in the blast. It could blow his cover but Bertholdt didn’t care. These people were the true devils and he didn’t mind taking them out.

**DO IT. DO IT NOW** _._

Bertholdt was startled by the voice he heard in his head. He hadn’t heard that voice since…

Valmir roared and charged at Bertholdt with a raised blade. Without hesitation, he used the knife and cut his palm. As predicted, lightning surged through the roof and surrounded Bertholdt. This sent Valmir flying and stunned the snatchers. He was in pain as the lightning surged through him and closed his eyes and was preparing to see through the eyes of the Colossal.

He opened them to find himself in his normal body. _What?_ He looked at himself and around to find the snatchers confused and terrified. Suddenly, the floor began to glow and the pylons around the room flickered with green light. They began to rise and float in the air as electricity passed through all of them. They then began to move in a circular pattern above Bertholdt and the snatchers as they began moving so fast they looked like a singular green circle. The floor began to move apart like a gate as a larger pylon rose from underneath it. When it reached the same level, the pylons unleashed their electricity on it. With that, the central pylon shot the electricity at the circular structure at the end of the room. It also began illuminating with green energy as Bertholdt heard it start to power up.

“LET’S GET OUT OF HERE. MOVE MOVE,” shouted a snatcher as he and the others who weren’t stunned by the machinery rushed to the exit. However, a door appeared from the roof and shut the exit instantly. The snatchers tried to force it open, but it would not budge. They began screaming and panicking as they didn’t know what was happening.

Then, from the center of the circular structure, a strange circling light appeared as its electricity met in the center. It then became bigger than the structure and suddenly, it started sucking everything in. Bertholdt grabbed the central pylon to keep himself from being sucked into the mysterious energy circle. He witnessed snatchers being pulled into circle and not come out. Even Valmir’s unconscious body and Leonardo’s dead body were dragged into the light. At last, Bertholdt was the only one left but the room showed no sign of stopping.

All of a sudden, a large hand made of green fire emerged from the circle. It seemed to know where Bertholdt was as it moved to grab him. Bertholdt screamed and tried to move behind the pylon but was not fast enough as the hand grabbed him. With him in its grasp it began to retreat into the green circle. He tried getting loose, but it would not let go.

“ANNIE! REINER!”

Bertholdt could only scream as the hand finally pulled him through the green circle.

……

“Find him?” Reiner said as he finally met back up with Annie. He woke up and found that Bertholdt was gone. He assumed he got up early or to find Annie. He was lovestruck like that. Unfortunately, he wasn’t with Annie either. They had spent all day looking for him around Trost but to no avail.

“Don’t you think he would be next to me if I found him?” Annie said sarcastically. Reiner just huffed and sat on the ground. _Where could he be? We already lost Marcel. We can’t lose Bertholdt._

His mind was interrupted as a loud booming noise shattered the silence of the night and the populace began to freak out.

“What was that?” Reiner asked as he turned to Annie. She shrugged so clearly she didn’t know what it was. It couldn’t have been Bertholdt because transforming would have resulted in an explosion.

“We should turn in for the night. We can look for him tomorrow.” With that, Annie yawned and turned to make her way back to the refugee building. Reiner followed but one question was continually running through his mind.

_Where are you Bertholdt?_


	3. A Beautiful Terrifying World

Bertholdt continued to scream as he fell through the electrical circle. After he was fully pulled in, the green hand disappeared and Bertholdt fell through the seemingly endless drop. As he fell for what seemed like days, he was struggling to keep himself together.

All around him were bright and dark colors erupting from everywhere. If one erupted near him he felt the pain as it burned his skin. His healing didn’t seem to be working as he continued to plummet through the endless void.

However, there was something much worse than the physical pain he had to deal with. As he fell, he kept hearing voices around him. He heard people whispering, laughing, shouting, crying, and screaming all mixed into one as it got louder and louder as he fell. Bertholdt felt as if his mind was actually going to tear itself apart from the stress the noises were putting him through.

Suddenly, he felt a terrible pain ignite within him. His body felt like it was on fire and his skin felt like it was scalding. Bertholdt’s screaming went to its maximum as he felt he was being burned alive. Out of nowhere, he heard a roar that was all too familiar to him. He managed to look in front of him to see the head of his Titan staring at him. _What’s happening?_ Bertholdt tried to figure out what was going on but the pain he was in continued to scramble his train of thought.

Suddenly, the Colossal Titan’s mouth opened releasing steam all around Bertholdt and the head moved towards the young boy. Bertholdt began to panic as the mouth got closer to him.

“NO. STAY AWAY FROM ME. DON’T DO THIS. PLEASE!”

The Colossal ignored him as the mouth was completely over Bertholdt and began to close. Bertholdt tried to move himself out of the mouth but the extreme pain he was feeling was holding him back.

“STOP! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” Bertholdt screamed as the mouth of his own Titan closed around him; blackening Bertholdt’s vision. He then let out one last cry for help before his body gave out and he slipped into unconsciousness.

……

_Bertholdt tried to steady himself._

_Caskernus was a well-fortified city that was occupied by the people of Ibernia a few months ago during his Warrior Training. Marley had sent a few squadrons to take it back, thinking that the enemy was not as formidable as they truly were. The squadrons had been utterly annihilated and sent a rippling wave of embarrassment through the Marleyan military._

_Seeing this as an excellent opportunity to test the new Warriors, Commander Magath wasted no time gathering a small auxiliary force of conscripts and Marleyan foot soldiers as they made their way to the outskirts of Caskernus. Since the defeat of the last squadron, the Ibernians had fortified the city with many Anti-Titan cannons and weaponry. A frontal assault was impossible so Magath came up with an idea. Get Bertholdt within the range of Caskernus and destroy the enemy with a catastrophic explosion._

_Of course, Bertholdt did not like the idea but of course he didn’t get a say in it. As the battle began, Magath ordered the black-haired girl Pieck to transform into the quadruped Cart Titan. Once she did, the Marleyans slipped on some armor on her face as Bertholdt was escorted into a strange portable contraption. The plan was to have him get in and have Pieck swim around the flank via the ocean and drop him off there. Then when Pieck gave the signal she was back in the water, Bertholdt would transform and lay waste to the enemy._

_As planned, the Armored Titan and the Female Titan (Reiner and Annie) drew the Anti-Titan fire at them acting as decoys while the Jaw Titan (Marcel) quickly charged through the flanks tearing up both guns and soldiers as he went. Behind them stood the Beast Titan (Zeke) launching bombs and rocks at Caskernus from long range just out of range of the guns. The Warriors were doing an excellent job distracting the enemy._

_Bertholdt felt seasickness of the worst proportions. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness because the contraption was held firm in the Cart Titan’s jaw to not let any water in and drown Bertholdt. No air was coming through so Bertholdt basically had to hold his breath while trying not to throw up. In utter honesty, Bertholdt hated this._

_Finally, Pieck had arrived at the position Bertholdt was to be dropped off at. Pieck crawled out of the water and gently placed the contraption with Bertholdt in it on the ground. She let go of the handles held in her jaw and looked down to see if Bertholdt was okay. Bertholdt gave a meek thumbs-up. With that, Pieck turned and fled back into the ocean._

_Bertholdt looked at his finger and sighed. He didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t have a choice. He already had the power of the Colossal and his 13 year ‘term’ had begun. There was really no fighting it and he sadly accepted his cruel destiny._

_“ **YOU ARE A COWARD. A WEAK-WILLED BUG OF A HUMAN.** ” _

_The voice startled Bertholdt as he fell back against the wall of the contraption. He had no idea who said that or where it came from. All he knew was that his ears were ringing after the mysterious voice spoke._

_RRRRAAAWWWR._

_Bertholdt somehow managed to hear Pieck with his ringing ears. With this, he looked at his finger and pulled out his combat knife. He gazed at his finger a bit. With one cut he would transform into the terrifying monster that could wipe out cities and towns. The monster Marley wanted him to be. The monster his mother wanted him to be._

_The monster he didn’t want to be._

_He sighed knowing that nothing could change his destiny. With a tear of defeat falling from his eye, he slit the tip of his finger with his knife. The familiar painful power consumed Bertholdt as he closed his eyes hoping not to hear the screams of the people damned to die._

……

He didn’t hear anything around him. He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t feel if he was still falling or on the ground. Frankly, he didn’t know if he was alive.

_Am I dead? Is this what death feels like? Am I…..in a better place now?_

Suddenly, Bertholdt began to feel something touch his face. It was light and not rough. It felt a little cold, but it felt so relaxing. _A breeze. It has to be a breeze._ Just then, his body registered that he was on land and no longer falling. It felt nice and comfortable being on ground.

At last Bertholdt opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the gentle blue sky above him with small clouds scattered around. He moved his eyes further to immediately be blinded by the sun. Bertholdt closed his eyes out of shock. He turned his head to the right and opened his eyes again and found himself laying in a field of yellow grass.

He rose to sit up and look around. He wasn’t in the horrifying place anymore. He wasn’t eaten by his Titan. His skin and body weren’t scalding hot. He was alive.

“ _I’m…alive.”_ As soon as he said that, he heard the dryness of his voice. His screaming must have drained his voice and he was suddenly dying of thirst. “ _Water. I…need…water._ ”

He quickly stood up and began to survey the area. He couldn’t find any source of water or any sign of vegetation besides the yellow grass. Something told Bertholdt that it barely rained here. Suddenly to Bertholdt’s joy, his ears popped and began to hear the surroundings. His keen ears picked up the splashing of water nearby.

Immediately, he turned towards the sound’s direction and awkwardly walked towards the source. His legs were cramped and sore. He must have landed funny and his healing must have numbed them for a while. No matter. Bertholdt was not going to die of dehydration.

After several steps, Bertholdt reached the top of a hill to find a stream passing through the bottom of it. Overjoyed, his legs gave out and he rolled down the hill. He finally stopped near the end of the hill’s descent and was near the river. Excited, he didn’t wait for his legs to process as he crawled over to the stream. Once there, he made sure no one was watching and dunked his head into the stream.

Once he felt the great cold feeling on his face, he cupped his hands and drinking the stream water. Fuck, water had never tasted so good. If he wanted, Bertholdt could have drank the entire stream because he was that thirsty.

Finally, his thirst was sated, and he rolled on his back to look at the sky again. While looking at the calm sky, he thought about all that had happened. He remembered being captured after Annie stormed off. He then remembered waking up at the snatchers’ camp and being thrown in with other abducted children. They had worked together to escape the snatchers and Bertholdt came to the decision to sacrifice himself for people he only knew for half a day. He led the snatchers away to the cave where they surrounded him. That was when things got a little hazy. _I remember cutting myself to transform. I felt like I was, but I didn’t actually do it. Then the room powered up and then POOF. Here I am in this strange place._

Bertholdt sat up and then looked across the stream. There were some low trees whose leaves were a mixed color of yellow and orange. The yellow grass littered the shores of the stream and the stream itself was making a calm flowing noise that soothed Bertholdt. Combined with the gentle breeze and the near clear sky, Bertholdt found himself at peace.

 _This place is so nice. So beautiful. So peaceful. It kinda reminds me of the woods back home._ After an hour passed, Bertholdt’s body and mind were reenergized as the peaceful environment helped him feel better. Now that his mind was back to normal, he studied the stream and its current. He deduced that there could be a larger body of water nearby and if he followed the stream in the opposite direction, maybe there was a lake or waterfall he could find. If need be, he could set up camp to spend the night.

Crossing the stream, Bertholdt went under a tree and tore a branch off it. He then sat down and found a pretty sharp rock in the stream. He then began cutting the branch, fashioning it into a sturdy spear. He didn’t know who or what was out here and if journeying to the Walls had taught him anything, it was that the wilderness never tended to be on man’s side. After an hour passed, he finished his spear and then tore a piece of cloth off his pants. He placed it in the stream and after a few minutes, pulled it out and tied it with a smaller piece of ripped clothing. Making sure there were no holes in the cloth holding his water, he grabbed his spear and waterbag and made his way up the stream.

……

After a couple hours of hiking, he reached a river were the stream had originated from. As he continued, he noticed he was approaching some mountains. Even from a far distance, the mountains looked huge. One mountain in particular seemed to pass through the clouds and Bertholdt couldn’t see the top. This fascinated Bertholdt as he took the sight in. The mountain was enormously taller than the Colossal could ever hope to be and part of him wanted to transform just to climb to the top to see what was on top and see the view from above. He bet it was a glorious sight to behold.

At last, he reached the end of the river to find a huge lake. He had to climb up some of the mountainside a little, but it was worth seeing the beautiful mountain lake. After he took the sight in, he found a nice clearing near the lake shore and flopped on the soft grass.

 _This is a good place to stay for a couple nights. Hopefully I can figure out where I am. I need to get back to Reiner and Annie. I need to help them complete the mission._ Of course, that was what the Warrior side of Bertholdt said. Regular Bertholdt just wanted to get to Annie. He wanted to apologize for not being strong enough at the time and that the continuation of the mission was his fault alone.

Maybe if he played his cards right, she would forgive him, and they could go back to the awkward one-sided relationship he had with her during training. He would watch her walk by and take in all he could in that one glance. He would admire her as she wiped the floor with anyone during combat. He would sometimes not be able to fall asleep in his cot but found her sleeping peacefully in hers. He would get lost just watching her and eventually fall asleep, resulting in better dreams than the ones that woke him in the first place.

_Jeez, I even placed flowers on her cot back then. I don’t know if she knew it was me or not._

No matter how many acts of his he performed, he would never actually go for it. Reiner always said that underneath her tough demeanor, there was a beautiful girl who just wanted to be loved. Bertholdt agreed in his head but something told him that was becoming less true as every training day passed. Maybe she had a tough childhood, or her dad was being tougher on her than usual. Of course, all Bertholdt ever really knew about Annie was that she had a father and no mother. Bertholdt was too afraid to ask her anything else.

_Maybe if I find her again and if she accepts my apology, maybe I’ll be confident enough just to tell her my feelings instead of not saying anything. Maybe getting it off my chest is best. Even getting rejected is better than not getting an answer at all._

He quit daydreaming once his stomach began to grumble. He had totally forgotten that he hadn’t eaten anything since he had awoken. Remembering the sight of fish in the river, he grabbed his spear and his waterbag and headed back down to the river to see if he could spear some fish for dinner.

……

_Come on you piece of shit. LIGHT!_

Bertholdt was only getting angrier as the sticks he was rubbing together weren’t getting a spark. The sun was beginning to set and even though he hadn’t encountered anything his first day, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t going to be any. Most predators tended to be nocturnal. Because of this, he wanted to start a fire as soon as possible. Most animals feared fire and if you had fire, you could fend off predators at least for a while giving you the chance to escape.

A spark flew from the intense friction of the sticks. This made Bertholdt go faster and after a few seconds, a flame had started. He began piling the sticks into a pyramid and blowing on the flame to push it to light the other sticks. He started throwing grass in the middle and continued to pile the sticks until the fire was at a good size. _Nice. Still got it._

He then quickly shoved some fish on a stick and placed it on two other sticks on separate sides of the fire. He then sat down again and began cooking the fish over the fire. He held his spear close because it was risky to cook fish out in the open because it could attract nearby predators. However, Bertholdt was hungry and he didn’t have time to find another way to cook them.

The sun had finally set, and the sky was consumed by the night. Bertholdt had just finished his dinner and was sitting in the lake looking at the stars as he was cleaning himself after a long day. He couldn’t recognize any of the patterns or see any familiar constellations, so he had no idea where he was right now.

With a sigh, he leaned back in the lake to where only his face was above water. He was recalling the times his father took him out to the woods far from Liberio. There, he taught Bertholdt many survival skills and how to survive on his own in case something like this happened. After Bertholdt was taught everything his dad knew, he was on his way home.

However, his father had knocked him out in his sleep and left him in a different forest. All his instructions were was to stay there for a month and survive on his own. This forced Bertholdt to actually remember all his father taught him because he didn’t actually listen and he half-assed the entire lesson. This taught Bertholdt the hard lesson of being aware of everything because if you weren’t, some crazy member of your family was going to leave you in the middle of nowhere.

For a month, Bertholdt survived on his own. He fished, he built a shelter, he cleaned his own wounds, and he used the stars to navigate and pinpoint his location. Most importantly, he got used to killing animals without crying. It was either him or them and that was another lesson his father had harshly taught him. All at the age of 8.

People may have thought this crazy and harsh but Bertholdt knew his dad was training him to survive. Bertholdt always believed he knew he was sick and didn’t tell him. Instead, he taught him how to survive on his own, so he didn’t have to rely on him or anyone else to get by. After a month, he had returned with a smile on his face. He embraced Bertholdt, which was a rarity, and told him how proud of him he was. Two weeks later, he fell sick to his unknown disease. A week after, his mother had sent him to Warrior Training.

Bertholdt only wished he told his dad thank you for everything he had taught him. Everything he had taught helped him in his mission so far and if there was any reason he wanted to return home; that was it.

He stopped reminiscing and rose from the lake. He dried himself off with his jacket and hung it on a branch to dry. He then found a comfortable place by the fire and settled in.

_I’ll make it home. With Reiner and Annie. I’ll return to you dad and you will see the son you are proud of be successful._

With his final thought, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

……

He heard a snap of a stick.

He quickly awoke from his sleep and quickly surveyed the area. He crotched down and made his way to the nearest tree to hide behind. It was barely light out so seeing moving objects was going to be tough. Once he felt he was safe, he calculated what he heard. He didn’t know the ecosystem he was in or what biome it was. (thankfully, spending time in the Tybur Family Library reading books gave him knowledge of these terms) This lack of knowledge resulted in him not knowing what animals were around here.

He thought back to the noise. It was a light snap, so it wasn’t a herbivore; at least it wasn’t a large one. However, Bertholdt could only assume it was a carnivore of some kind. He racked his brain for answers. The snap was not as loud so he assumed it could have been a mistake. That would mean the creature was prowling around; watching him. But it didn’t add up, if it was watching him it should have seen him run away from his spot and hide. That was the time for it to attack.

_But what if the snap was on purpose? To draw me away from my safe zone? But that would mean…_

Bertholdt quickly ducked out of the way just as a figure pounced at him. _So there’s a pack of them. The leader must have stepped on the branch on purpose to draw me away into their ambush. I’m an idiot._

After he was done kicking himself, he stood up and turned to look at predator that attacked him. It was nothing Bertholdt had ever seen or heard of. It was a round creature with no neck or arms. It had huge legs with sharp claws on its feet that looked like they could cut Bertholdt’s legs clean off. What was most terrifying was the body. Its mouth was huge and filled with rows of sharp teeth like a shark’s. Its skin looked as tough as a rock and its eyes were small. Bertholdt didn’t know what this creature was but he could definitely tell that this thing was not friendly at all.

Bertholdt backed up as the creature began to slowly come towards him. As he was backing up, he turned to see about five other identical creatures reveal themselves from the grass. They formed a circle around him and blocked off any route of escape. After they surrounded him, a bigger creature emerged from the grass. It was an identical creature but this one had spikes on its back. This was most likely the pack leader and it stopped outside of the circle.

Bertholdt grabbed his spear that was lying on the ground and held it in a defensive position. Having a weapon was good and all but the fact was he knew nothing about these beasts. He started shaking. Yesterday he had one of the best days of his life. He explored and roamed the wilderness like he did in his childhood. Now, he was facing death by predator. Once again, the world was cruel to Bertholdt.

The spiked creature barked and the creature that pounced at him before charged at him. Bertholdt saw it coming and dodged the charge. Barely. _Shit. They’re fast. That’s probably the advantage they have since they have no arms._ Bertholdt was then charged by a creature behind him and was sent to the ground in a hard fall. Bertholdt quickly turned on his back just in time to catch the creature by the mouth. It was close to taking his head off.

The pack leader signaled again and another creature pounced. This time, Bertholdt heard it coming and he lifted his legs under the creature. Using the weight of the creature, he did a backwards somersault and the pouncer landed his mouth on the first creature. Its teeth sunk into the first and it sqeualed in pain. Bertholdt let go and the two began fighting and tumbled into a third. Using this chance, Bertholdt grabbed his spear and ran through the break in the pack’s circle.

The pack leader barked a signal. Bertholdt turned to see the squabbling creatures halt and look at the leader. It growled and made a louder bark in Bertholdt’s direction. Knowing whatever it signaled wasn’t good, Bertholdt turned his back and ran.

He knew it wouldn’t take long for the creatures to catch up. They were faster than he was thanks to their body. Bertholdt believed it would only be a few minutes before they were on him. To his dismay, Bertholdt ran into the mountainside. He had forgotten he was in the mountains and that the terrain here was unpredictable. Unwilling to stay and fight, he dropped his spear and began climbing the mountains.

The idea was that the creatures had no arms so climbing would be impossible for them. He was about a good height up before the pack of creatures made it to where he was. They looked up at him and all he heard were growls and snarls. He was about three-quarters of the way to the top feeling relieved. However, he heard a commanding bark from the pack leader and looked down. To his horror, the leader jumped high in the air, his body expanding and eventually hit the mountainside; his teeth latching on to the steady rocks. The pack followed suit and began chasing him up the mountain.

 _Damn it. Their bodies have helium in them. They can jump high and float in the air. They can climb the mountains. Shit._ He continued to climb at a quickened pace, but the creatures were closing in.

He reached the top and began running again. He then abruptly stopped as he was about to run off the steep edge of the mountain he was on. He staggered back but turned to see the creatures slowly approaching him. Bertholdt had run out of options and there was no way to fight these things. He reached for his knife and was about to slice his hand.

However, the ground began to shake. Both Bertholdt and the creatures were shocked by this. Bertholdt lost his balance and his knife went flying off the edge. “No.” He lunged for it, but it was too late.

Suddenly, a large hand emerged from the mountain’s surface and grabbed a creature. The others bounced out of the way and Bertholdt witnessed the reveal of a far worse creature. It looked like an small ugly Titan with a large nose, large ears, and dopey eyes. Its skin seemed to be made of the mountain itself and it was about twice the size of Bertholdt. As it rose, Bertholdt noted that it had a makeshift loincloth over the private area, and it had a torn tree in its other hand. It looked like it was being used as a crude club. It reminded Bertholdt of the pictures of Trolls in the old fantasy books he read as a kid.

The Troll took a bite out of the struggling creature and swallowed. The creature no longer struggled and the Troll threw the carcass off the edge. The pack snarled at the Troll as the Troll turned around to face them. It scratched its butt like an idiot and seemed to make a tired threat. One of the smaller creatures lunged and bit into its heel. The Troll roared and grabbed the little monster and slammed it on the ground. Bertholdt swore it sounded like a balloon being deflated.

The pack charged the Troll, but the Troll was angry. He swung his club and smacked at least two of the creatures of the mountain while the others bit into its belly. The leader was prowling around the fight waiting for the perfect strike. However, it then turned to Bertholdt and decided to focus on him instead. It snarled at him as Bertholdt watched petrified.

The creature charged and Bertholdt held up his arms in a defensive way and closing his eyes. He wondered what actual death would be like and hoped it was quick. Suddenly, Bertholdt heard a booming noise and didn’t feel the fangs in his flesh. He opened his eyes and saw the creature smashed underneath the Troll’s huge tree club.

Bertholdt looked up at the large creature. It had single-handedly wiped out an entire pack of freakishly fast creatures and it looked like it had only woken up. Now, the creature was staring at Bertholdt with a face he could not decipher.

“T-T-T-Tha-Thanks,” he said to the Troll. The Troll picked up his club and continued to stare at him. “ **MAN**.” Bertholdt was completely shocked by the fact that it had just spoke to him. This creature had intelligence or maybe a small sliver of it. Maybe he could befriend it and it could give him a faint idea where he was.

“ **EAT…… MAN**.”

Bertholdt could feel his face turn as pale as a ghost. The creature saved him only so it could eat him. The Troll swung his club and smashed the ground hard but Bertholdt dodged it. He wanted to run but he had climbed himself into a corner. The only way down was to jump and he was pretty sure that the jump would break his legs or possibly kill him.

Bertholdt continued dodging the grabs and the swings of the monster trying to come up with an idea. He then noticed the dead pack leader’s corpse. It still had spikes on its back. He quickly ran towards the Troll and slid under it. He grabbed a spike but was immediately grabbed by the Troll. Bertholdt panicked but luckily he managed to pull out a spike before being lifted from the ground.

The Troll opened his mouth to consume the Warrior. Bertholdt was scared and was pretty sure he was going to die but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. With all the might he had left in his system; he jammed the spike in the Troll’s eye.

The Troll immediately bellowed in pain and rage. It began to go berserk and started swinging and moving all over the place. It did not let go of Bertholdt however as he continued to struggle in its grip.

As he continued struggling, he noticed that the Troll was heading towards the edge. Panicked, Bertholdt tried reaching for the spike that was shoved in the Troll’s eye. It proved to be difficult because the Troll was flailing his arms everywhere and Bertholdt was starting to get sick from dizziness.

At last, the Troll slightly released his grip and Bertholdt grabbed the spike, but it was jammed so far in the creature’s eye that it wasn’t coming out. The Troll felt his effort and his pain only increased; resulting in more berserk reactions. Bertholdt was released from the grip but suddenly found himself hanging on to the spike and the Troll’s left ear. If he let go, he was no doubt going to be trampled to death by the beast.

Coming up with a risky plan, Bertholdt maneuvered himself to the back of the berserk beast. Without the hazard of being trampled, Bertholdt jumped off of the beast just as it was falling off the edge. Bertholdt had a quick sense of relief and it was quickly destroyed as the Troll managed to grab Bertholdt’s leg. Within seconds, Bertholdt found himself screaming as he fell with the beast to both of their deaths.

All Bertholdt heard was the crash when they finally hit the ground.

……

Bertholdt was in pain. The last he remembered, he landed on the Troll’s back and rolled off of it in the backlash. He had hit the ground hard and was having trouble breathing. He must have broken some bones and a few ribs. Luckily, the healing was kicking in slowly.

“Look at diz, boyz. We’s gotz a dead Troll. We’z gonna eat like Nobz tonight,” Bertholdt turned his head weakly toward the rough voice he had just heard. He faintly saw three big figures approaching him and the Troll.

“Even betta. Lookz like we ‘az a humie dat’s still breafin. Lookz like he will make a good _Gretchin_. Let’s take ‘im and da Troll. Wez gonna get zum major teef for dis.”

Bertholdt’s injuries were too great and he passed out before he could see what his captors looked like. He hoped that they were more lenient than the snatchers.

He had never been so wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squigs: Fast, two-legged beasts that hunt in packs. Due to having traces of helium in their system, they can jump very high and even float for a time. They are dangerous creatures that hunt in the mountains and have a higher intelligence than most beasts. If captured, they are used as War Hounds for the Orks.
> 
> Trolls: Large beasts who live in the mountainous areas of southern Hellworld. Known to be solitary creatures who forage and hunt, they are very aggressive to any creature in its path and is capable of using weapons if needed. Their skin is as solid as mountain rock and only a few weapons can pierce their armor. They are capable of speaking very little and are usually bribed by Orks to help in battle in exchange for meat.


	4. The Orks of Ullanor

Ghazghkull Thraka, Chief of the Goffs Klan and the Warboss of the mighty Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw, marched down the trail through the scrap heaps of scavenged junk and weapons. He was not in the mood. The Orks who walked by him or saw him quickly noticed this and averted their eyes, not wanting to get their skulls smashed by the strongest member of their Klan.

Ghazghkull’s _Gretchin_ (Orkish for slave) had tried to kill him while he was away on a Troll hunting vacation and the Chief was crushed by a boulder. To the _Gretchin’s_ surprise, Ghazghkull lifted the boulder easily and threw it at his ex-slave. Now, he had no slave and he was sure one of his Nobs had bribed the slave to kill him.

After an hour of enraged marching, Ghazghkull made his way to his summit. He had ordered his advisor Wurrzag to summon his Nobs (his enforcers among his klan) so he can smash them and figure out who tried to kill him. Unfortunately, it was impossible to determine who it could have been. Wanting to be the best was something every Ork wanted. It was what made an Ork and whoever acts on it successfully can easily stand out of the other boyz and become a powerful Chief.

His Nobs were murmuring and having punching contests until Ghazghkull slammed his fist on a makeshift podium. “Lizzen to me boyz. And lizzen carefully. One of yuz tried to kill me today during ma favorite ‘obby. Ma _Gretchin_ tried to kill me today. Before I smashed ‘im like da bug he waz, he told me one of ma ‘trusted’ enforcers bribed ‘im with freedom. Da humie didn’t tell me who so I ‘ave come to da conclusion.”

Ghazghkull held up his ‘eavy Dakka gun and fired it into his small group of Nobs. In a few seconds, every Ork in his summit was dead except for him and Wurrzag. “Do you think that maybe that was a little too excessive?” Ghazghkull gave his advisor a menacing glare. “No. I don’t believe zo. One of dese ‘loyal Orks’ tried to kill me so I decided to off all of da gits before they off me.”

Wurrzag just shook his head. Ghazghkull just scoffed and walked to sit in his throne of scavenged parts and trophy heads. Maybe he did overreact a little, but a message had to be sent. He was the Warboss of Gorbad and he was not to be trifled with. In Ork Kustom, if one had a grievance with their boss, it would lead to either a headbutting contest or a fight to the death. But trying to assassinate him was not honorable. It was cheap and Ghazghkull hated those who cheat.

Wurrzag walked over to him with his Weirdstick in hand. “I get you are trying to honor your ancestor Grimgor. He followed our kustoms, just as you are now. He was granted the power of the One who Creates. I know you are hoping to achieve that power.”

Ghazghkull shook his head. “Maybe it was about dat at furst. But now, my mis’hion ‘az changed. We know what Gorbad plans to do. Uniting all da Klans is a good ding but what he intends to do once he kommands dem all, I can’t allow dat. It’s not what Grimgor would want. It is not what da One Who Creates would want.”

They stood in silence and after a while, Wurrzag left his chief to think.

“BOSS.” Ghazghkull turned to see an Ork rush in. “Da Wranglas ‘ave just arrived. It lookz like dey’z got some good ‘uns dis time.”

……

“Wake up.” Bertholdt slowly opened his eyes to find a man crotching over him. Bertholdt groaned as he sat up. His eyesight became less blurry as he looked around. He was in a cage in the back of a messed-up truck. In the cage were about twenty people in there with him. He tried to study their clothes, but nothing seemed to jump out at him as he didn’t recognize anything. “Are you alright? You’ve been out for a while son,” said the man he woke up to.

“I’m fine. My body still feels a little hurt, but I can manage. Who are you?” Bertholdt asked as he leaned against the cage.

“My name is Marcelles Briggs. I am a sergeant of the Armageddon 32nd Guardsmen Squad. My men and I were ambushed by the Orks while investigating a distress signal. It turned out these wranglers were waiting for us.” He sounded like Bertholdt knew what the hell he meant. _Armageddon? Wranglers? Orks?_

Bertholdt decided to ask those questions later if he had the chance. “You said you were a part of a squad. Were you the only survivor?” Briggs leaned back against the cage next to Bertholdt. “Most of them died fighting them. The survivors ran away while I stayed to fight.”

“That’s good. Maybe they can send help to come get us.” Bertholdt was confused when Briggs started laughing. “Look kid. I love your attitude but we both know the Lord Commissar Yarrick won’t tolerate retreat. The one thing he hates more than Orks are soldiers who flee in the face of battle. I’m sure he will send them to the firing lines as soon as they arrive back.”

_That’s just brutal. Why is that allowed? What nation in the world would allow such cruelty?_

“Hey. Keep it down ya gits. It’d be best if ya start learning to be quiet and shut ya trapz when ya start working as _Gretchins_. A talkin’ _Gretchin_ is uz’ually a _Gretchin_ askin for deff.” Bertholdt turned to see where the person who was speaking was. When he caught sight, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The first thing to catch his eye was the color of _its_ skin. It was dark green, and the green-skinned creature was a little taller than Bertholdt. Its underbite was huge and its canines were like sharp tusks. Its body composition was very muscular and the armor it was wearing seemed to be a bunch of junk put together. Bertholdt quickly made a note to not get into a fight with these things.

“Ah. Wez be here.” Everyone in the cage looked out and Bertholdt saw something familiar. It was the mountain that passed through the clouds. If Bertholdt wasn’t captured, he would have marveled at the sight. The view was breathtaking as he could see waterfalls flowing from the top and green grass dotted all along the mountainside.

Bertholdt then looked closer at the bottom of the mountain. He saw tons of buildings spread out across the flat terrain and on the mountain. As the truck got closer, he saw many of the ‘Orks’ wandering around and causing mayhem with each other. He witnessed some weird machines being built and driven around the place and he saw some people in chains mining rocks or working on some of their crude machines. Bertholdt went from scared to terrified as he saw an Ork cut down a slave with an axe and continued to swing into him even after he was dead. _Where on earth am I? What is this place?_

After about another two hours of driving, the truck finally stopped. The Orks on the truck opened the cage and violently began dragging people out. One grabbed Bertholdt by the head and started dragging him out. Bertholdt tried to resist but it was not a good idea. The Ork let go of his head and smacked him hard on the head, sending him crumbling to the ground. The Ork grabbed his shoulder and hoisted him up and shoved him in the line of people they made.

They were escorted to an open area. It looked like a crude theater and he knew that whatever was happening here wasn’t good. They were lined up shoulder to shoulder and were forced to kneel on the rough floor. Bertholdt looked around to see what was happening. As he looked up, he saw hundreds of Orks occupying the seats around them. They were talking loudly and some were even headbutting each other. After a few minutes had passed, the biggest wrangler then stepped in the center so all the Orks in the audience could see.

“Everybody LIZZEN UP!” All the Orks quieted down as the boss of the Orks quickly grabbed the attention of those that were attending. “We’z got a lot of humies ‘ere who ‘az just happened to come into our sight. They’z will gladly work for ya ‘az long az dey don’t get hurt. What’z do youz say?”

The Ork audience started roaring with laughter as the joke seemed very hilarious to the crowd. Bertholdt shivered as the sight of all of them. There were so many greenskinned barbarians and every one of them was bigger than anyone could ever dream of being. An army like this could easily crush Marley even with the Titans. Bertholdt hoped that they didn’t know about Marley. He couldn’t bear to see anyone he knew become a slave of this species.

“Alright, alright. Zettle down. Back to buz’nez. Dis week ‘az been a very good ‘un for us. Da ‘uge lot yuz see ‘ere are ripe for da pickinz. Da first few will be about a fistful of teef and after dat, it will cost yuz about a Troll’z leg to pay. One reminda about da trade….” Bertholdt’s mind drowned out the rules of this auction to look around the audience once more. When he focused, he could see that they were seemingly divided into groups.

Some groups were small and looked very much the same. Each had about ten to twenty in the group with one big one in the center. The big one in each group probably called the shots. A few other groups were equipped with googles, oilcans, and wrenches. Bertholdt recalled that he some Orks riding some metal-outfitted bicycles around. The riders looked the same as the group so maybe that was it.

In the far top sat some shady looking Orks. They had a darker shade of green and barely spoke. From what Bertholdt could see, they seemed to not have as much armor on them and had dark paint all over their faces and exposed skin. Just looking at them gave Bertholdt shivers.

Finally, in the center was a huge group of Orks that utterly confused Bertholdt. They had lots of drills and huge tools with them and some even had weird helmets that shot out electricity every now and then. In the middle sat a huge Ork with a huge mechanical claw attached to what seemed like a robotic arm that ended at his shoulder. He had two red lenses on his right eye and his body was decorated with mechanical parts that looked like it dug into his skin and his lower jaw seemed to be made of metal. Bertholdt really hoped that he didn’t get sold to them to be a slave.

After about an hour, a total of seven slaves had been sold to some lesser groups. Bertholdt was shaking as he was two slaves away from being put on the platform to be sold to these monsters. Briggs seemed to notice and nudge him with his shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine. It will be hard, but we can get through it. We will find a way to escape and return to Armageddon. Maybe we can take out some of them as we leave,” he whispered to Bertholdt before a wrangler smacked on the head sending him to the hard floor. Bertholdt looked fearfully at the wrangler and quickly turned his head. Fortunately, the Ork did not notice and propped Briggs back on his knees.

After another was sold to the bikers’ group, Briggs was taken to the platform to be shown off. “Now dis is one of dem strong humies. He is a fighta alright. He alone offed two of my boyz with just a rok. Dis one could be good for Mek work or even better, a fighta in da Black Crag.” Many of the Orks seemed impressed by this and Bertholdt wondered what the Black Crag was. He then convinced himself that he didn’t want to find out.

Suddenly, the door above the audience burst open. Bertholdt could not believe what he was seeing. It was an Ork of tremendous size and had a stature of what could almost be considered human. He stood up straight instead of hunching over and walked with such power. All the Orks looked to him at what he considered to be a mix of fear and respect. He was naked from the waist up showing off his powerful body and painted symbols as he sat by himself in a secluded area.

The big wrangler gulped and took a minute before speaking. “W-W-Warboss Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. I did not expect yuz to attend today. Out for ano’er _Gretchin_?” The Ork known as Ghazghkull just growled which made the big wrangler even more frightened. “Back to da sale, who wants dis soldier for a ‘eavy lifta? I’z be startin’ at thirty teef no less.”

The bidding went as many groups threw in their currency of teef for Briggs. It eventually boiled down to a group of slaver Orks and the metal-bodied Orks. They eventually started to argue and the big one of the slaver group stood up and challenged the mechanized Ork leader. He gladly accepted and they faced off in the middle of the ‘theater.’ When the duel began, the slaver Ork charged.

What happened next stunned Bertholdt. As the slaver charged, the mechanical Ork’s body was instantly surrounded by electricity. _Wait. That’s Titan power._ The mechanical Ork disappeared and out of nowhere appeared on the other side of the duel. He then opened his claw arm and charged with the same energy, fired a bright yellow beam at the Ork. In a matter of seconds, the rival Ork was nothing but dust. All that remained was his smoking boots. The audience cheered and the mechanical Ork raised his hands in victory.

The big wrangler strode toward the victor. “DA WINNER BE ORKIMEDES! DA _GRETCHIN_ BY RIGHT GOES TO ‘IM AND DA MEKBOYZ!” As Orkimedes walked away, a wrangler walked to drag the barely conscious Briggs to them.

Bertholdt couldn’t help but feel angry. _They are monsters. They are worse than Marley._ As Briggs was given to the Mekboyz, another grabbed Bertholdt as he dragged the lanky boy to the platform. _Nonononono. I have to get back. To the Warriors. To Reiner. To Annie. I will not be a slave._ With a sudden surge of energy, Bertholdt broke free from the wrangler’s grasp. As the wrangler went to grab him, Bertholdt threw a punch that weakly bounced off the Ork’s face. Pissed, the Ork kicked him until Bertholdt couldn’t breathe.

**I WILL NOT BE TAKEN PRISONER AGAIN. EVER AGAIN.**

The voice boomed in Bertholdt’s head so loudly that his ears rung. He couldn’t hear anything but the ringing. All of a sudden, he felt a burning heat in his hands. He looked down to find them smoking and his palms were red.

He felt the Ork reach down to grab him but Bertholdt in a heat of rage launched himself at the wrangler. The Ork was surprised which gave Bertholdt all the time he needed. He latched his hands on the Ork’s face and the Ork screamed in pain. Bertholdt heard it and pressed harder on the monster’s head. To Bertholdt’s surprise, the Ork’s head began to turn brown as it began to heat up. Bertholdt continued to push which resulted in electricity sparking from his arms. He had never felt this powerful before. Suddenly, the Ork’s head popped sending Bertholdt flying to the ground.

As Bertholdt’s ear’s stopped ringing and his senses returning to him, all he saw was the headless Ork’s body on its knees and not moving. All the remained of the head was a smoking hole where it used to be. Bertholdt just looked at his hands in fear. _Did…Did I just…just blow its head off?_

He didn’t get to answer as he felt a mechanical claw close around his neck. He was raised off the ground and was turned to see Orkimedes’s disgusting face looking straight at his. His smile was filled with cruel curiosity and excitement. “Alright. I will give all my teef and da next production of Trukks and Deff Dreads to da wranglas for dis boy. I can feel da Waaagh energy radiate within ‘im. I wantz it. The offer goes only once.”

The big wrangler was so excited he raced to the platform. “SOLD! Sold to Orkimedes and da..”

“I WANT ‘IM!” All the Orks looked to see the Ghazghkull Thraka standing up and marching towards the center stage. He then jumped and landed right in front of Orkimedes. He stood tall and immediately dwarfed him. Bertholdt could feel Orkimedes shaking.

“I wantz ‘im Warboss. I paid for ‘im fair and square. Just cuz you be da Chief…” Ghazghkull balled his fists so hard Bertholdt heard his knuckles pop. This gesture shut Orkimedes up and made him take a step back. Ghazghkull took a step forward and leaned down. “Fine. Den I challenge you Big Mek. Big ‘un on big ‘un. Whoever winz is da biggest and gets both da _Gretchin_ and da title of Warboss. Do yuz accept?”

The crowd hushed and began to stomp their feet in excitement. Bertholdt looked at Orkimedes. It was clear that Orkimedes had the brain power but Bertholdt guessed that Orkimedes could not defeat Ghazghkull even with the Titan energy. He would probably be squashed instantly and based on how the Orks admired him and feared him, he was probably the strongest of the clan.

Orkimedes growled and dropped Bertholdt. “Fine. I take my offer back. I withdraw klaim.” Orkimedes backed up and headed to join his group. The big wrangler then went over to Bertholdt and Ghazghkull. “He is yurz, Warboss. Do with ‘im as yuz pleazez.”

Two heavily armored Orks came from behind Ghazghkull and grabbed Bertholdt’s arms. He was hoisted up and brought before the terrifying Ork. “You’re coming with me humie. Don’t bother fightin. If you do, all I needz to do is flick you and you go splat. Get me ya git?” Bertholdt gulped and nodded his sweating head in agreement and fear. Ghazghkull snorted and turned to walk away. The Orks holding Bertholdt followed behind with him in their grasp.

He wanted to transform but he was exhausted from the stunt he pulled in the theatre. All he could do was be dragged by the Warboss and his Orks to his inevitable fate as a slave.

……

As his Black Ork Immortulz escorted him and the boy to his throne room, Ghazghkull continued to play back the scene in his mind. He was sitting there considering buying another humie to act as his _Gretchin_ to replace the one that betrayed him. He was about to walk out until it happened.

The humie boy who was taller than the average child attacked the wrangla and popped his head like a bomb. What was more interesting was the electricity that sparked from the boy’s body as he was burning the Ork alive. The power was incredible.

_I know of only one other thing in dis world who ‘az used that power. Da power of He who Creates._

They reached his chambers and there waiting for him was his trusted advisor and friend Wurrzag. He had not left his place since Ghazghkull left as he was in a trance, possibly talking to the One who Creates or possibly listening to the thoughts of the other Orks. It was hard to really decipher which one it was but either way, he looked stupid. He slapped Wurrzag on the back of his head which snapped him out of the trance.

“Wuzzat for, ya git?” Ghazghkull snorted and walked to his comfortable throne and sat in it. “We’z got ourselves a special humie. I want yuz to examine ‘im for me.” Wurrzag seemed very confused but just shrugged. He then turned his attention to the Black Orks that dragged the skinny humie boy in and threw him to the ground. He wandered over to study him as Ghazghkull motioned his bodyguards to leave.

Wurrzag held out both his arms and began to feel the air around the boy and began chanting and dancing. Ghazghkull had no idea what he doing but then again, all Ork Shamans (or Weirdboys as they are called) were near crazy anyways. His hands started lighting up and his green skin began to glow as he got closer to the boy. “Yes. Yes. I feel something. This humie boy is filled with immense Waaagh energy. Enough to destroy entire cities. Entire Klans. I have not seen this much power. Not since Grimgor. His power even seems to surpass him.”

The boy seemed to look nervously at Wurrzag and he noticed that gobs of sweat was pouring down the humie’s head and drenching the collar of his shirt. After a few minutes passed as Wurrzag chanted and danced around the boy, Ghazghkull figured it was time for answers. He motioned Wurrzag to stop and he did as he was ordered.

“Lizzen to me boy. Yuz may have lots of Waaagh energy in ya, but I know that I can smash ya skull before yuz could even dink of moving. Answer ma questions and everything will be fine. Yuz have ma word, da word of Ghazghkull Thraka. Understand?” The Warboss could hear the boy gulp loudly but he obediently shook his head. “Alright. Tell me who ya are and where yuz came from.”

The boy wiped his brow and fiddled with his fingers as he avoided eye contact with Ghazghkull. “M-M-M-My name is..is..uh..Bertholdt. B-Bertholdt Hoover. I am a s-soldier of Arma-Armag-Armageddon. Uh..I..um..I..well,” the boy continued to stupidly stutter which was annoying the Warboss.

Ghazghkull looked to Wurrzag who was shaking his head. Ghazghkull grunted and moved off his throne and walked towards the boy calling himself Bert’oldt. He loomed over him and watched as the boy seemed to cower with fear. “Lizzen again ‘Bert’oldt,’ I don’t like being lied to. Just today, I squashed ma _Gretchin_ who tried to kill me. I am in no mood to play games or chase false stories. My friend with da stick can sense your energy. He knows yuz be lyin’ based on ‘is connection to da Waaagh. Lie again and I will personally drag yuz back to Orkimedes and put yuz to work on ‘is dangerous projects. GET ME?”

Bert’oldt seemed so afraid he fell on his back. Ghazghkull leaned down on one knee and helped the boy back up to his knees. “I don’t wantz to ‘urt you humie. Dis is important. So please tell me da truff.” Bert’oldt seemed to calm down slightly and nod again. This time with honesty.

“My..um..name is Bertholdt Hoover. I am a Warrior of the country Marley. I am the wielder of a powerful being known as the Colossal Titan. I-I-I was sent to infiltrate the Walls of Paradis Island to capture the Coordinate….” Bertholdt continued his story and wrapped up his origins and his experience the last few days.

Wurrzag confirmed this with a nod. Satisfied, Ghazghkull returned to his throne. “We know yuz be tellin’ da truff. Dank yuz for dat. Now to explain..” To be honest, Ghazghkull wasn’t sure where to begin. He had not heard of these places. Marley? Paradis Island? Eldia? As far as he knew, no such places ever existed. Nowhere up north for sure. Maybe it was a place in the dark continent, but he was not too sure about that. There was also the fact that he had a powerful being dwelling within him. He was just like Grimgor but Wurrzag explained to him that the connection between the boy and the beast wasn’t like that of his ancestor. Wurrzag seemed to believe the beast was more forced on him rather than actually bonded to him. Even so, he or any other Ork had never heard of this beast. He was thankful that Orkimedes didn’t get his hands on him. He didn’t want to think about the experiments the mad Ork would think of doing to him.

“Yuz seem to have da same power as da Waaagh. Da Waaagh is da power we waz granted by the One who Creates. We were made to be warriors to fight for ‘im against da dark forces. Da Waaagh flows within every Ork. It gives us strength and a strong warrior’s spirit. Some Orks like my friend Wurrzag use it to read da minds of da boyz and whip dem into a battle frenzy. Dey can also use it to cast lightning anytime dey like. However, da greatest power of da Waaagh is da power of unity. If many Orks concentrate deir Waaagh on somethin’ collectively, it comes true. Many of our vehicles are runnin’ because we believe dey work. We believez da louder da gun, da more it hurts da enemy. If something be painted red, it goes fast. Anything is possible when da Orks come together.”

Ghazghkull stood from his throne and motioned Bert’oldt to follow him to a balcony. He then pointed Bert’oldt to the center of the Ork encampment to see a huge crude statue of what seemed to be a huge Ork holding a battleaxe. “Every time da Orks or da world are threatened, da One who Creates chooses an Ork to wield da power of da greatest weapon any Ork can dream of retrieving. Da power of da Greenskin Titan.”

Bert’oldt seemed to be in awe of this. “But that can’t…that isn’t right. It’s not one of the Nine Titans of Ymir. It can’t be true.”

Ghazghkull laughed. “Oh. It be true. Da Greenskin Titan was perhaps one of da greatest Titans to ever be created. Its Waaagh energy was off da charts and any enemy dat got in its way was easily annihilated. My ancestor and perhaps the greatest of da wielders, Grimgor Ironhide, was da latest to wield it. He vanished after da last crisis but nevertheless, he was a force to be reckoned with.”

He turned to Bert’oldt who seemed even more shocked. “I don’t know who dis Ymir is. But da Greenskin Titan was created by da One who Creates.”

Bert’oldt shook his head, trying to wrap his head around everything. “I don’t get it. Who is the One who Creates? Why do your people worship him so much?

To that, Ghazghkull had a simple answer. “Da One who Creates is da God Titan. Creator of worlds, species, and time itself.”

……

Bertholdt wanted to laugh. He wanted Ghazghkull to start laughing and say he was playing with his stupid human mind. He wanted to call Ghazghkull an idiot for ever thinking something like that.

He was already doubting the idea of an Ork Titan and whatever this Waaagh power was. However, that made at least somewhat sense. Bertholdt however did draw the line at the idea of a God Titan. There was just no way. According to his beliefs, the goddess Ymir gave the power of the Titans to the Eldians and nothing more. A Titan who could make worlds and wielded time itself; no fucking way that was true.

“Look….Warboss. But that can’t be true. Nothing is that powerful. We couldn’t have been created by something like that. It isn’t logical. We evolved from simple organisms as time passed. We were not forged by some deity. Sure, Titans are one thing because Ymir created them to share with Eldia. But worlds, time, other species, I don’t find that the least bit true. S-S-Sure, the weird green portal I was sent through seemed abnormal at the most but that still doesn’t explain anything.”

CRUNCH. Bertholdt’s debate was cut off as he noticed Ghazghkull having crunched a part of the balcony fence with his iron grip. He let go and Bertholdt found that it was severely broken as if the Armored Titan himself grabbed it. “What do you mean; portal?”

Bertholdt had left that part out of his tale. He thought that telling that would make him look crazy and make them believe he was lying again. After clearing his throat, he told the two Orks about his encounter with the portal and how he blacked out during his time in it. After he was finished, the Orks looked at each other with unease. “We’ve only ever heard it in songs and tales. We didn’t think it was real,” Wurrzag said while scratching his head.

Bertholdt looked at them in fear and suspense. “What do you mean? Whatever that thing was, it transported me somewhere on Earth. I can’t be that far away from home. We could be on an undiscovered continent.” It could make sense but Bertholdt was beginning to think that wasn’t the right answer. He then thought of something that made him want to vomit. He couldn’t bring himself to accept it. “I-I am on Earth? The planet Earth. Right?” he squeaked as Ghazghkull began to move forward slowly.

“Dis place iz not called Earth. Yuz in a place far worse ‘den you could ever imagine.” Bertholdt fell to his hands and knees as if he was punched in the gut hard. “Dis be Ullanor. Or as you humies call it; Hellworld.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orks: A race of strong, greenskinned warmongers who dedicate their lives to fighting. They will take on anyone or anything, even their own klan just to feel the rush of the fight. Led by a Warboss or chief, the Orks go to battle with massive numbers and crude vehicles. They have assaulted and raided Terra for many years and have even gone into the dark continent to fight the terrors there. They heavily idolize the Greenskin Titan as the 'one true Ork' and will happily carry out the will of the One who Creates as the Orks are fanatically loyal to their creator.
> 
> The Waaagh: The central power of the Orks. Similar to the power of the Titans, the Orks use it to enhance themselves instead of being able to transform into mindless Pure Titans. The Waaagh energy allows the Orks to come together as a collective to make the most ramshackle piece of Ork "teknologee" come to life as a dangerous weapon of war. As klans grow, their Waaagh grows as well making the Orks a dangerous enemy to be facing.


	5. Oathbearer

_“Then the knight came riding on his horse. He had with him a sword and shield and was dressed in the greatest armor the blacksmith could forge. As the knight reached the top of the hill, the dragon looked up at the man in confusion. It was blinded for a few moments as the sun’s mighty rays bounced off the knight’s armor. The dragon let go of the beautiful princess to rub its eye with its huge claw. At that moment, the knight charged on his brave steed with his sword held high. The dragon was confused and began to breathe its dangerous fire at the knight. The knight swerved his horse out of the way and went straight for the dragon. He raised his blade as he swung the blade down on the dragon’s neck. The head easily came off as blood and…”_

_Bertholdt looked up from the book as he did not want to imagine the blood and other gross things inside any body come pouring out. He didn’t like those scenes and preferred to not read those parts._

_Right now, he was reading one of his father’s books that he kept in his work room. Bertholdt had always been one of those kids who loved to read while others went to hang out with friends and be up to no good. Not that Bertholdt didn’t want to hang with friends, he just didn’t have any. Labeled a nerd and a pussy, not many of the kids in his area really wanted to get to know him. So instead he went to read as many books as he could find to lose himself in his imagination and metaphorically go on the adventures the book provided him._

_After he skipped the gory part of the battle, he continued to read out loud to himself. He tucked himself under his covers more as he lost himself in his little world. “After the knight ripped his sword out of the dragon’s body he dismounted from his horse and ran to the princess. As the knight approached her, he finally got to lay eyes on her. From the moment he saw her, he knew she was beautiful. Her blonde hair shined in the sun’s light and her eyes were like the rarest of gems. To the knight, she was to him the very meaning of beautiful. He knelt down and picked her up. The princess took off the knight’s helmet to reveal his scarred face. The princess smiled and leaned in as the knight met her advances. After what seemed like an eternity, their lips finally-”_

_“STRING BEAN. COME DOWN FOR DINNER OR YOU DON’T GET ANYTHING!”_

_Bertholdt frowned at the loud beckoning of his mother. It was just getting to the good part. He sighed and got off his bed. He made sure to mark where he was because as soon as he was done he was coming back to finish._

_He opened his door and made his way through the small hallway. He reached the kitchen/dining room/living room (the houses of Liberio were really small) and sat down at the table. His mother came over and placed a small bowl of stew in front of him. This was the routine meal every single day since his father got sick. Since they couldn’t pay for solid food, his mother found whatever she could find and basically smash it together. But Bertholdt knew better than to complain. When Bertholdt would causally say something close to what she considered a compliant, she would start breaking things. The last thing she broke was the window in Bertholdt’s room which they never fixed._

_The two ate in silence. It was all going well until Bertholdt heard coughing from the guest room. He gulped nervously and looked at his mother. “Mom. Could I take some of your leftover stew and bring it to dad? Maybe the stew would make him feel better.”_

_His mother rolled her eyes and made a displeased sound. She nodded and pointed to the extra bowl. Bertholdt got up and grabbed it. “Make sure you don’t drop it. You might pee your pants thinking it was a ghost. Who am I kidding? If you spotted your shadow, you honestly just shit yourself also.” Bertholdt just took his mother’s insults and turned to the guest room door. He opened to find his dad laying on his side facing away from him._

_“Dad. I brought you some stew. I was thinking you were hungry, so I decided to bring you some. I hope you like it.” His father didn’t move or acknowledge his presence. “Dad?” Bertholdt asked a little louder as he continued to move closer. “Dad. Are you okay?” His worry continued to grow. He reached out with one hand and grabbed his shoulder. Bertholdt pulled him to actual face him._

_Bertholdt’s breath suddenly just stopped. His father’s face was missing. All that was there was a skull and one disgusting eye. His face and body were steaming like a volcano erupted. “My…. son.” He grabbed Bertholdt’s arm which was so hot. His father’s arm was made up of burnt muscle and sickening discolored blisters. “Help…..me.”_

_Bertholdt screamed and fell backwards onto his butt. He dropped the stew on his father’s arm which seemed to burn his father more. He let out an agonizing scream as he held his arm with his other steaming arm. “Bertholdt…. why?”_

_Bertholdt couldn’t speak to apologize. He voice wasn’t working, and nothing was coming out of his mouth. He then heard cruel laughter echoing from behind him. The hallway had stretched so far out and was filled with terrifying darkness. A pair of red eyes appearing and began to approach him from the end of the hallway._

_“I knew you would be scared. You are such a coward my little string bean.” Lightning flashed and revealed his mother to have four human legs and mutated arms. Her mouth was wide open and making weird noises as it approached him. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you aren’t scared.” She laughed as she came closer._

_Bertholdt scurried to the wall and curled himself into a ball. He was starting to cry. He heard his mother loom over him and felt a sharp fingernail lift his head up to look at her. “It’s okay my little coward. You’re the real monster here.” She began laughing maniacally as Bertholdt felt the ground move._

_He looked up to find the roof being torn off. As soon as the roof was gone, the body of the Colossal Titan revealed itself. It looked so angry and terrifying. It roared so loudly that it hurt Bertholdt’s ear and made them bleed. He tried to get up and run but his body wouldn’t let him. He was helpless as the Titan he inherited leaned down and opened its mouth wide to eat the little boy who only wanted to finish his book. Bertholdt felt the teeth chop his body in half as he continued to try to make a sound and scream._

……

Bertholdt jolted himself up and held his hands in front of him. “NO! STOP!” He was panting so fast and breathing at a very excessive rate. If he continued, he was going to hyperventilate and that was not going to help him. He finally opened his eyes to find himself in his small _Gretchin_ quarters in Ghazghkull’s Boss Hut. He was covered in his Boarskin blanket provided by the Warboss and on a pretty comfy mattress one of Ghazghkull’s boyz ‘borrowed’ from a human. He gathered himself after about a half an hour and began to wipe the sweat that was pouring like a waterfall.

 _That was terrifying. Why do I keep having dreams like that?_ His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement approaching his tiny room. He quickly got up and got into his _Gretchin_ clothes. Or to be more specific, his ripped-up piece of cloth he had to wear to symbolize his place in the Ork’s world.

His door opened and Wurrzag entered the room. “Alright boy. It is time to get to work. Let’s get goin’.” Bertholdt walked over to the door and exited and Wurrzag closed the door behind him.

……

_This is so gross._

Bertholdt expressed this to himself as he used what could loosely be considered a wrench on a dead Ork’s head. He clasped the wrench around the dead Ork’s tusk-like tooth and pulled with all of his might. It budged slightly but it did not come out. Grunting, he put his foot on the Ork’s face and pulled again. After about a few seconds, he heard a snap and Bertholdt immediately found himself on his back. He raised his head to find to find the wrench in his hand holding the tooth.

He got back up on his feet and sighed. That was his fourth tooth today. He still had about fifty Ork bodies he had to go through. His crummy job of the day was _teef-robba_ , whose job was to rip the teeth out of the fallen Orks so the others could use it as currency. It seemed that Orks didn’t do graves or burials. Once their teeth were removed, they would be sent to the butchers so they could be chopped up and made into food for the _Gretchins_ , Trolls, and the round creatures that attacked him. (the Orks called them Squigs) It disgusted him that they treat themsleves like this but their ‘kultur’ was their own and sadly, it kept Bertholdt from starving.

It was a cruel reality and he had no choice but to live with it.

He worked from morning till the sun started to set. He was exhausted after pulling so many teeth that he swore if he had to ever pull another tooth again, he would transform into the Colossal Titan and squish every single Ork here. He took the teeth and placed them in what could only be described as a wheelbarrow to an Ork truck. After he delivered it, the Ork driver gave him a few coins for his efforts and drove off.

After about an hour, he made his way towards the _Gretchin_ shanties. This was where all the other slaves were forced to live under constant supervision. It reminded Bertholdt of what Trost was like back when he was there. There were so many people and it was very crowded. Many crowded the food trucks while others stayed indoors and kept their children and families close.

The crowd began to rush to the sides as Ork slavers made their way through with a line of slaves being dragged behind them. Bertholdt quickly stepped out of the way. He heard many of the slaves cry and beg not to work but the Orks did not listen or care. One of the slaves actually fell to his hands and knees from exhaustion. The Orks demanded he rise but he couldn’t. Angered, one of the Orks took out a Slugga (Orkish for Pistol) and shot the slave until his ammo was gone. The slaves began to panic and run into their houses while Bertholdt resumed walking. He didn’t want to end up like the dead slave. He had to get out of here. But despite their crude and barbaric behavior, the Ork’s security was too good. Only a few have ever escaped but that was usually so the wranglers could go hunting.

Sighing at his predicament, he didn’t turn back and unintentionally started walking faster.

……

“Ere you go humie. Eat up. Yuz be needin it for ya working. Don’t go eatin too much ya zkinny grot,” the Ork laughed as he plopped Ork Meat and some weird goop on Bertholdt’s tray. Bertholdt exchanged a coin and made his way away from the butcher’s shop.

He looked at his food with disgust. What he would give to just eat some real food. Stew, fruit, actual cow meat. Bertholdt began to drool at the thought. He went over to a nice-looking rock and sat down to lean on it. He took out an Ork knife and began cut the meat into smaller pieces. Afterwards, he looked at the disgusting green meat of what was once an Ork. It smelled awful and the sight didn’t help. He swallowed and began to eat the meat slice by slice. It tasted like a terrible mix of vegetable, meat, and gruel all at once. But no matter what it tasted like, it gave Bertholdt’s body the energy and nutrients he needed so he continued to force down all the meat and goop he was given.

It had been about three months since his capture and for three months he had suffered the heavy yoke of the Orks. They were merciless towards their _Gretchins_ and didn’t care if they were hurt or not. To them, if their goods were damaged, they were immediately useless. They were either left to die, be executed brutally, fed to the beasts, or sent to Black Crag. Bertholdt still didn’t know what that was and whenever he asked around, the slaves would shudder and keep their mouths shut.

Bertholdt wished he was back on Paradis Island. True, he was the enemy but at least there they fed him and gave him a place to rest. Here, he was treated as nothing more than a piece of shit on a road. It wasn’t all to bad. Since he had been Ghazghkull’s slave, he had been treated fairly by his master. The Warboss would go out of his way to get Bertholdt water and edible food such as Squig and Troll meat. He’d have Wurrzag heal him from a hard day’s work with his Waaagh powers and gave him a somewhat cozy place to sleep. In exchange, he would do his best to work wherever he was placed to prove himself as a good worker which would help Ghazghkull’s prestige and reputation.

When he was alone with the Warboss, Bertholdt would be taught the history and customs of the Ork race. It turns out the Orks basically knew nothing of how they came to be or what their place in the world was. For the most part, the Orks could care less. If they could find a good fight and become powerful, history wasn’t a priority. Ghazghkull was different. He did his best to uncover the old history of his race so he could better understand himself. Bertholdt liked that about him. Though he was an Ork, Ghazghkull was actually pretty nice to get to know. He was knowledgeable for his kind and extremely well versed in strategy and warfare. Bertholdt could see how he rose to power very quickly.

As he was eating, Bertholdt still contemplated all that was told to him after Ghazghkull first purchased him. Going on about one of these savages having the power to shift into a Titan, their power being related to Titan energy, a God Titan. Bertholdt still believed it was mere nonsense that the Orks believed. He knows all about religion. From what he has read, religions are very different from each other. Some revolving around immortal gods and prophets while others believe in the nature of life and the worlds. Most of the time, these were made to give people a purpose or find an explanation about the world. Even Marley, especially the Tybur family, practically worshipped the legendary figure known as Helos; he who slayed the Devil of All Earths.

Bertholdt always believed that the goddess Ymir created the world and used her Titan abilities to create the world until his ancestors defiled her gift and used it to conquer the world. However, the revelation of a Titan that wields god-like power seemed to frighten Bertholdt. If what the Warboss was saying was actually true, could it be that Ymir herself was a vessel of its power? Or was she a human who stole power from it?

Of course, this all revolved around any of this being true. There was no way the Orks had a Titan shifter amongst them. If there was, they would have been off conquering this entire ‘planet.’ Ghazghkull stated that after what the Orks called ‘Da Last Big Fight,’ Grimgor lead them against an army of strange rat-like creatures and lead a huge Waaagh, or large united army of Orks, across the Sea of Doom to a dark continent. No one survived and Grimgor was never seen again. While working, he has heard many rumors of his fate. Most believe he is still out there fighting the enemy which is why they haven’t seen any abnormal monsters since. Some believe he has died and has transferred his power to Gorbad Ironclaw.

His head was starting to hurt. A part of Bertholdt believed this was all one big nightmare and he was waiting for someone to wake him up. This all seemed like a fantasy or a huge story he would read in a book. Sadly, he knew there was no hope of that. His planet was cruel but this ‘Hellworld’ as some slaves have called it was plain merciless. A nightmare they could never wake up from.

“You seem to be having a nice conversation in that head of yours.” Bertholdt looked up from his food to see Briggs standing in front of him. He couldn’t help but show a small smile. In all of this, he had a hopeful Briggs to always lighten his day.

“Sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”

“No worries. I just can to join you for lunch. I need someone to agree with me on how this food can actually taste worse than shit.” Bertholdt raised an eyebrow. “Don’t ask. You do a lot of stuff as a soldier of Armageddon.”

 _If only he knew what he had to do to be a Warrior._ Bertholdt leaned back again and continued to force his way through his food. “You talk about Armageddon a lot. Seems weird for a city to be named after a prophesized doomsday. What is it like to live there?” Bertholdt was generally curious and if he was going to live on this planet for the rest of his ‘term’, he might as well learn the terrain.

“Well for starters,” he said after he swallowed a piece of Ork meat. “It’s better than this place. Though I honestly wouldn’t recommend living there. For one, it is mostly populated by soldiers and conscripts. They make up the Guardsmen regiments there. Not many civilians live there and if they do, they were probably sent there because they lost their house and money. The ‘Land of Men’ is always overpopulated and the government usually sends them to the outer cities. Armageddon is one and the other is Cadia. They are big cities and are always expanding to support the homeless. However, if you live in these cities, you’re basically signing up to be a part of the military.”

Bertholdt was afraid to ask but part of him wanted to know. “How many people usually die in those cities?” To that, Briggs lowered his food and sighed. “In one week, about six to eight thousand die. Most of the time, it’s in the line of duty. Fighting these Orks, feral beasts, madmen from the Dark Lands, you name it. Everything out here just wants to kill us. If not in the line of duty, then by muggings, executions, starvation, you name it. It’s ugly out there. As I’m sure you already know, the world is cruel beyond measure.”

Bertholdt could only nod. He didn’t know what to say to the facts besides just how awful the truth was. “Is that your story? Are you someone who was conscripted to fight?”

“Yes. I was basically ripped from my family when I was ten years old. After five years, I became a Guardsmen. To protect the people from the horrors of the outside world. I never saw them again and even if I wanted to, I was basically someone else after that. Being a soldier in the Terran Imperium can really change you. All you basically learn is to defend yourself and that you will inevitably die to serve the cause.”

“Did you really have any time to……I-I don’t know….be a kid?” Briggs just sighed and shook his head. “In this world, there is no happiness or joy to be found. You basically count your luck that you lived today. Because there is a high chance you won’t live tomorrow. It goes for everyone, even the high society. In the end, we live short lives and die horribly.”

Bertholdt couldn’t help but shed a tear at that grim statement. He wanted to shake it off and say that that horrible logic was just plain wrong and absurd. But deep down, the twelve-year-old Warrior knew that it was the truth. It was the same way of life in Liberio. If you lived without being beaten to death by Marleyans, killed by thugs, died of disease, starved, or killed by accident, you would thank whatever god or prophet you worship for living. If you died, the world would just move on.

Wanting to change the saddening subject, Bertholdt looked at Briggs. He noticed large bruises and cuts on his face. “What happened to you? Another one of the Mekboys experiments go wrong? It can’t possibly be safe working in the confines of that mountain they work in.”

Briggs scoffed and began to angrily chomp into the meat only to spit it out a few seconds later. If this wasn’t serious, Bertholdt would have laughed. “Those Orks are mad. They make us put together their machines in a very specific way. Except the design and schematics make no goddamn sense. All they do is zap it with some weird green lightning and just like that, it comes to life.”

 _Green lightning?_ Bertholdt suddenly remembered the power Orkimedes wielded in his Power Klaw (he was pretty sure that was what Ghazghkull called it) and how he disintegrated the enemy within a few seconds. _Is that Waaagh energy? If so, it can do more than just destroy things but power the crudest Ork inventions?_ Bertholdt was getting more worried about Ghazghkull’s revelations to him were starting to seem true.

Bertholdt definitely didn’t want that to be the case.

“There is something strange about the big one they call Orkimedes. He’s quieter but he is less hesitant. He definitely wants to accomplish something. Some of his slaves have mentioned that he has been acting different lately. He used to be careless and invent shit for the hell of it. Now, he’s testing weapons with caution and checking specific works we make. As if they had to be perfect. Just yesterday, he smashed a man’s skull because some plate wasn’t welded the right way. I tell you son; something is going on here. It may have something to do with…”

He stopped his sentence as he noticed some Orks making their way though the shanties. He motioned for Bertholdt to follow him and he quickly did. They made their way into one of the rundown buildings and Briggs made sure that no one was around.

“Listen. I trust you not to tell anyone. I don’t want any of these people being sketchy and telling their masters; worse Orkimedes or Ghazghkull. Do you promise not to tell anyone but someone you trust?” Bertholdt gulped and started sweating nervously. He didn’t want to be a part of this. Once again, he was possibly being dragged into another mission and he didn’t particularly want to participate. The Warrior’s mission was hard enough but just staying alive in this hell was seemingly harder. He needed to escape not try to play hero.

_I’m no hero. If I am, I’m a poor excuse for one._

“NOOOOO!” Both of them heard a woman scream outside. They peered through the window to find two Ork trucks parked in the middle of the street. The Orks were getting off and the last to dismount was none other than the Big Mek himself. He looked livid and Bertholdt shuddered as if he could really feel the Ork’s anger burn his skin.

The woman ran towards the dead man followed closely by a small thin girl. She kneeled over to look at the man who looked like a walking skeleton. She was crying as she put her head against his. The girl started crying as well. “Daddy? Wake up Daddy. Mommy and I need you. I want to hear you sing to me again.” The girl was incapable of saying anything else as she started sobbing loudly.

The woman looked up at the Big Mek. “You MONSTER. He did everything you asked him. I heard him say you boasted about him to other Meks. Why would you kill him? Why would you take my husband away from me?”

Orkimedes angrily stomped towards the woman and her daughter. They held each other in fear as the Big Mek looked down upon them.

“Dat zoggin git broke a conduit. Dat conduit was ez’ential to what I ‘az planned. Yuz idiot of a humie didn’t take propa’ care of it. I make sure every _Gretchin_ dat workz for me getz it right. If dey don’t, I do whateva’ I wantz to dem. So, I did just dat. I did whatz I wanted with ‘im. ANY’DING ELSE I SHOULD ANSWER FOR YA, HUMIE?”

They started crying again but Bertholdt could tell it wasn’t out of sadness; it was out of fear.

Orkimedes then raised his hands in the air and roared. With that simple roar, all the slaves stopped everything and looked at the terrifying Ork.

“LIZZEN UP YOU MAGGOTS. I GOTZ A JOB TO DO FOR DA WARLORD AND TO ACCOMPLISH DAT GOAL, I NEED MORE OF YUZ. BIG BOSS GORBAD ALREADY GAVE ME DA GO A’EAD TO USE AS MANY OF YUZ AS I WANTZ.”

Orkimedes then lunged his Power Klaw at the woman and grabbed her by the neck. She started screaming but the Klaw squeezed her throat, eliminating her cries for help. The girl lunged at the huge Ork but was easily knocked away by him. The Orks started laughing and slowly raised their axes and shootas (Orkish for rifles) at the _Gretchins_. Orkimedes held the woman high above his head so all could see.

“ANY OF YUZ WHO DAREZ STAND IN MA WAY, I’M GOING TO SMASH YA HEADZ IN GOOD.” Suddenly, he threw the woman hard on the ground in front of him. The girl yelled for her mother, but to her horror, the mother didn’t say anything back.

Because Orkimedes smashed his huge foot into the woman; crushing her head and easily smashing her skull to a thousand pieces. Gore and bone exploded everywhere, and it made Bertholdt throw up viciously.

The girl screamed as she saw her mother brutally murdered in front of her. Orkimedes on the other hand laughed cruelly and turned to enter his truck. “It’s time for some fun boyz. Take ‘em and beat ‘em as much as ya green heartz desire. Off some of ‘em to if ya like. But bring me every _Gretchin_ ‘ere and put dem to work. WAAAAAGH!”

Without any warning, Orks descended from the sky and began snatching men, women, and children. “Stormboyz,” Briggs said as he grabbed Bertholdt and pulled him away from the door. Screams filled the air as Bertholdt could hear them screaming. It sounded all too familiar to him. The people running from the Titans, being eaten by them, screaming to be let on the ferry.

_Screaming at the sight of the Colossal Titan breaking down the gate without a second’s hesitation._

“Bertholdt. Listen to me. Damn it, listen.” He was pulled away from his thoughts as Briggs shook him to his senses. “Promise me Bertholdt. You will get out of here. Reach Armageddon. Tell Yarrick that his suspicions were confirmed. The Orks are responsible for the massive energy spikes erupting in the mountain. Orkimedes is responsible for the lightning around it and that he and Gorbad Ironclaw have something planned. Promise me you will make it? PROMISE ME!” Briggs sounded scared but his soldier’s demeanor stayed firm.

Bertholdt was on the verge of tears. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be a slave. He didn’t want to make this promise. He didn’t want any of this. He wanted to be home. With his father. With Reiner. With Marcel.

_With Annie._

Bertholdt suddenly remembered his goal. To get back to her. To confess. To help her and Reiner complete the mission. To get them back to their families. Get them back home.

Bertholdt swallowed the huge lump in his throat and nodded. “I-I-I……I pr-prom….” He took a deep breath and looked Briggs in the eye. “I promise.”

He heard to sound of confidence in his voice. He was strangely proud of himself for that. Briggs showed Bertholdt a small smile. “Good. Now go. I may be captured so I am going to try save as many as I can. GO.”

Briggs dashed out the door. He heard nearby Orks shout and make their way after him. Bertholdt then slowly exited the building and began running. So many people were running as the Orks let loose their anger and brute force on them. Bertholdt jumped and tripped on the corpses of the Ork’s victims as he ran. Bertholdt was lucky enough to miss one ‘Stormboy’ whizzing over his head trying to grab him.

As Bertholdt finally stopped behind a wall, he peered over to survey the area. Aside from Orks and slaves running everwhere, Bertholdt saw a small opening in the electric fence that surrounded the shanty town. He waited until he saw an opening. He was about to run until something stopped him.

He heard crying. He recognized it too. A few yards to the left, he saw the girl kneeling next to her dead mother. She was hugging her mom’s body so tight and was doing nothing but releasing her tears into her.

To his horror, a Stormboy landed behind her and was approaching her fast.

_Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. You need to leave. You need to run._

_If we had immediately gotten a hold of the Titan that ate Marcel, we wouldn’t have lost the Jaw Titan. But you two ran…_

_But you two ran…_

_But you ran…_

_You Ran…_

_YOU RAN…_

_He’s not coming back now._

Bertholdt yelled and punched the wall. It hurt his hand, but he didn’t pay attention to it. He turned and ran towards the girl. He leaped and surprised the Ork by tackling him to the ground. The Ork snarled and threw Bertholdt off his back. Before the Ork rose, Bertholdt picked up the Ork’s axe and hit the metal thing on its back. It started to turn red as the Ork was thrown left to right as the thing on its back seemed to be going out of control. After zipping around in a random pattern, the Ork landed on the ground as the metal thing exploded.

Having no time to confirm that the Ork actually died, he ran to the girl and quickly slid beside her.

“Listen. We have to go. They will kill us if we stay here. Or worse.” The girl showed no sign of cooperating as she continued to cry. Shouting was heard from above as three Stormboy Orks activated their metal things and started to fly towards Bertholdt and the girl. “Dammit.”

Without any warning, Bertholdt scooped up what looked like a stick grenade that the Ork he killed dropped and scooped up the girl. He then started running as fast as he could. The girl started screaming as she reached for her dead family. She weakly punched Bertholdt’s back to let her go but that wasn’t going to stop him. He looked behind him to see the Orks getting closer.

Quickly, he looked at the stick grenade and saw a button on the bottom of the stick. He pressed it and held on for a few seconds. He was close to fence now.

Suddenly, as time seemed to slow down, Bertholdt went to the ground and slid. He then threw the grenade behind him as he and the girl slid under the electric fence. After he stopped he got up and kept running but turned his head to see the Orks halting at the fence. They didn’t register the grenade until it exploded. All Bertholdt saw of the outcome was a metal thing flying free in the air without an Ork attached to it.

He kept running until he hid in a small hole underneath an Ork hut. The girl had lost consciousness and was out cold. He laid her down and decided to wait an hour for everything to blow over.

_Energy spike. Green lightning. It all has to do with Orkimedes. Him using those slaves for something. What could he possibly be using Titan energy for? Maybe I don’t want to know._

A thought popped into Bertholdt’s head. _Wait a minute. Maybe it has something to do with the portal. That much energy could be related to the portal. That’s what brought me here. Maybe that’s what Orkimedes is planning._

It was very sketchy, but it was good enough for Bertholdt to believe. He looked at the girl who was slowly breathing next to him.

_First things first, I got to hide her somewhere safe. Wurrzag. He’s a good Ork. Maybe he can heal her. I can also ask Ghazghkull about Orkimedes and see if he knows anything. I may be going home after all._

He scooped up the girl in his arms again and made one final survey before sprinting towards Ghazghkull’s hut.

_Don’t worry Annie. I’m coming back. Nothing will stop me. I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mekboyz: The 'technological enthused' Orks are the weaponsmiths and engineers of the Ork klans. Obsessed with trying to build a weapon that brings death and destruction to the enemy, they work day and night to supply their klan with the deadliest weapons and vehicles they can offer. The Meks aren't really into war, but it is always fun for them to watch the battle from a safe distance and take pride in seeing their weapons bring death to their enemies. They are a very essential part of any Ork Waaagh and are higly respected by the boyz.
> 
> Stormboyz: These Ork daredevils live for the thrill of extreme danger. Leaving behind the boring life of a regular Ork, they visit the Meks to get any rocket or fuel they an get to make themselves fly. With essentially a rocket strapped to their backs, they take to the skies and live their carefree lives feeling the thrills and easily jumping into the bloodiest parts of a battle. They are more savage then regularz which is why a good Warboss either uses them as suicide troops or flanking units. To the Stormboyz, they don't care if they die the most cruelest or shameful way, as long as they feel alive, being dead doesn't bother them.


	6. What Lies in the Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take this time to thank everyone for reading this story and giving it a chance. I love writing this story and will continue to even if there are not many reads. Feel free to leave a comment to state what you think about the story so far. Once again, thank you for the reads and kudos.

Ghazghkull grunted angrily as a part of his armor fell to the ground. He had just taken the time to clean it after another stupid Nob challenged him for the title of chief. It only took a matter of seconds for Ghazghkull to easily smash him to bits. Sadly, the blood got all over his old armor and he decided to clean it. Sure, many fear the stained armor of an Ork but if he learned anything from his six-year rivalry with his nemesis Yarrick; standing out in a clean sense can really make it clear who the boss is.

After an hour went by, his armor was clean after he used a boarskin sheet to clean off the blood. It was tough and he had to spit on his armor a lot to get it off. However, his armor was nice and clean, and it looked dazzling and fearsome.

He lumbered over to his throne and causally sat down and leaned back against it. Bert’oldt was going to be here any second. Having Bert’oldt around was a nice change to have. He was interesting and he seemed like a good humie to have as a _Gretchin_. Ghazghkull actually was beginning to consider him a friend. Sure, it took a while for Bert’oldt to feel comfortable around him and Wurrzag but their conversations were always nice. Bert’oldt was intelligent and had a natural curiosity of things around him. Ghazghkull found it fun to talk about his species and himself and learn of Bert’oldt’s world and home as well.

The boy was beginning to grow on him. It was nice change. It reminded him of his time with his ancestor Grimgor. He remembered always following him around like a loyal squig following his master. Grimgor would tell him stories of great battles and legendary Orks. In a way, Grimgor was what a humie considered a father to Ghazghkull.

He remembered when Grimgor summoned him to the Hut of Da Biggest. When Ghazghkull was no more than a small whelp, he was summoned by the greatest Ork Warlord to meet with him. He walked with Grimgor down the stunning Hut of Da Biggest, a place where the greatest Orks in history were remembered for their greatest achievements. As he walked close to his ancestor’s side, he gazed upon the amazing idols of Azhag the Slaughterer, Morglum Necksnapper, Gorfang Rotgut and Gorgutz ‘Eadhunter. All of these Orks changed and evolved the course of their species. They gained the honor of wielding the Greenskin Titan. With it, they led their Waaaghs to many victories. Ghazghkull had no doubt Grimgor was the greatest of them.

He was led to the back of the temple where the magnificent idol of He Who Creates stood. All the Orks worshipped him and called it Gork the Brutally Cunning. (Or was it Mork the Cunningly Brutal?) For his power inspired the Orks to be as strong as their god.

He remembered his conversation with Grimgor to the last word.

_“What do you see when you look at da idol Ghazghkull?”_

_Ghazghkull wasn’t sure if this was a simple question or a tricky question he had to use his brain for. He looked at the idol and stared a long time at it without blinking._

_Grimgor laughed as he pounded Ghazghkull hard on the back. “Lizzen Ghaz. I didn’t say only lookz at it. I said tell me what yuz see.”_

_Ghazghkull looked at Grimgor with confusion but looked at the idol again. He took notice of the way it was made and how it looked vastly powerful. “It be tall and very strong. It lookz down on yuz with unwavering determination and ‘az no fear.”_

_Grimgor nodded. He stepped closer to the idol and motioned Ghazghkull to come closer. As he made his way there, Grimgor looked back at the idol. “Dat is what an Ork is supposed to see. Strength and power. But ‘ere is da ding dat I ‘az come to discova.” He flexed his right arm and astonished Ghazghkull as lightning appeared on it. It was beautiful, powerful, and soothing. The Waaagh energy at its finest._

_“You can feel da power can’t you?” Ghazghkull nodded but did not take his eyes off of the lightning. “What I ‘ave learned is dat da Greenskin Titan was made for more den just war and battle. It ‘az a bigger purpose.” The lightning disappeared which saddened Ghazghkull. It felt like he was being warmed by a cozy fire and now he felt colder._

_“Da Greenskin Titan was made for passion.”_

_Ghazghkull tilted his head at the answer. “Passion? But we Orks are made for fightin. Why does our Titan have to be based on a weird humie idea?”_

_Grimgor turned back towards the idol and sighed heavily. “Da Greenskin Titan is an unusual bein. Though it is made to be the perfect weapon in battle, it ‘az certain traits it looks for. So nothing can abuse its power.”_

_“What does it look for, Grimgor?”_

_Grimgor smiled. “It looks for da one with da greatest passion. Da one who doesn’t fight for ‘imself but for others instead. One who would gladly die to save others. Because da Greenskin Titan is different den da other Titans. While others run on energy, da Greenskin Titan is fueled by da pure will and passion of da chosen ‘un. It can go for weeks fightin. If da chosen’s will be unbreakable and passion powerful, da Titan can ‘eal itself quickly, take massive beatings, use da raw power of da Waaagh itself. As long as da chosen ‘un ‘az no doubts or fear, da Greenskin Titan never knows defeat.”_

Ghazghkull still had no idea what his hero meant. What did he mean pure will and passion? As far as he was concerned, no Ork besides Da Biggest ever fought for others. Every Ork was looking out for himself as all should be. No Ork gets by while being charitable. The only passion Orks feel is to fight and move up in the hierarchy.

Maybe that’s why no Ork has been chosen yet? Because no Ork was worthy of receiving it? He knew he wasn’t. He was focused on one thing. He wanted to be Warlord. He wanted to lead the Orks into a better future. One with honor like what Grimgor did. Back in the day, the Orks respected one another and even the enemies they fought.

Now, they fought each other with no mercy. Klans vying for power, separate castes sabotaging each other to be the best, smashing another Ork just for looking at you funny, the Orks had really fallen low. This was not what Grimgor would have wanted to see. He was very sure the One Who Creates was disappointed in them as well. Under Gorbad’s warmongering leadership, there was no doubt in his mind.

He looked at his armor thoughtfully. He was trying to decipher his hero’s cryptic messages. Who could possibly be worthy of the Greenskin Titan’s power? What did Grimgor mean by passion and will?

Did it have something to do with Wurrzag’s prophecy that was told to him?

BAM BAM BAM.

Ghazghkull returned to his senses as he heard the loud banging on his hut door. He grumbled as he lost his train of thought and moved to the door. Whoever was banging on his door didn’t stop and it was only ticking him off. If they kept it up, he was going to smash them on the door they just so happened to be knocking.

“WHAT?”

He opened the door to see an exhausted Bert’oldt carrying a humie girl in his arms. They were both dirty and Bert’oldt was shaking like he had just ran for his life. He then heard the shooting and explosions in the distance.

“Please……You have to help…us.” Bert’oldt breathed heavily as he looked at Ghazghkull with fear and desperation.

……

Ghazghkull roared as he put a hole in his wall. For all of his time here in this hell, Bertholdt had never seen Ghazghkull this angry before.

After Bertholdt got to Ghazghkull’s hut, the chief immediately sent for Wurrzag who came in an instant. He took the girl to Bertholdt’s room to start healing her while Bertholdt explained all that happened at the shanty town.

To be honest, Bertholdt was surprised Ghazghkull reacted the way he did. Bertholdt had spent lots of time with him and he just assumed he enjoyed Bertholdt’s company as a slave to amuse him. Seeing him smash the wall hearing about the tragedy of what happened made Bertholdt begin to change his mind. _Maybe they aren’t all so bad._

After Ghazghkull eventually calmed down, he went over and grabbed some water. He chugged a huge keg of it and then poured water from another in a bowl and gave it to Bertholdt. He quickly drank all of it as he was exhausted from running.

“Are you all right Bert’oldt?” Ghazghkull asked. From what Bertholdt could tell, he was being genuinely sincere. Bertholdt nodded and put the empty bowl down. He noticed his hand was still shaking and in response, he grabbed it with his other hand, but it didn’t help the shaking. Truth be told, what he had just experienced was as terrifying as the Titan attack that killed Marcel; possibly even worse. Witnessing the death of innocent people and the unleashed brutality of the Orks was absolutely horrifying. It was a miracle he survived, and he had to give it to the Warrior Program; they prepared him for everything.

“It-It was……overwhelming. Orks just showed up everywhere and just took everyone. Orkimedes had them take everyone when they were done having their fun. He’s bringing them to the mountain.” Ghazghkull growled at the statement.

“This isn’t only Orkimedes’ fault. It is that git Gorbad. For too long, he ‘az been abusing the title of Warlord and the power it gives ‘im. Orkimedes is clearly being funded by ‘im and the Ironclaw Klan. What are dey building in da fucking mountain?”

They sat in silence not knowing what to do. Bertholdt felt helpless right now. Everyone was taken by the Mekboyz to work on some project in the well-fortified mountain and every single Ork was looking for any slaves that might have escaped. Going outside was not a good option for him. Escape went from slightly possible to absolutely impossible.

Wurrzag entered the room and sat next to Bertholdt. He removed his mask and sighed. “The human is okay; though she has a few bruises, but she will live. She is sleeping right now. I will let her know everything that has happened.” It always amazed Bertholdt on how fluent Wurrzag could speak.

Ghazghkull stood up and walked behind his throne. Bertholdt and Wurrzag followed behind him to see him putting on his armor. “I am going to march into dat mountain and smash Orkimedes ‘ead into the zoggin ground. He ‘az gone too far dis time and as chief and Warboss, I will rip ‘im limb from limb.”

Wurrzag smacked his weirdstick on Ghazghkull’s head. “Think for a minute you imbecile. You can’t go charging in there. Gorbad has backed him in whatever crazy scheme he has. You are the outside force right now. Engage them now and you will be seen as a usurper. You are trying to win the loyalties of the klans. Bluntly attacking the Mekz will not only piss off the klans but the boyz as well.”

Ghazghkull glowered but still was putting on his armor. “I don’t care. What they are doing to da humies is wrong. This goes against every’ding I was taught by Grimgor. If he could see what was going on, he would do what I be doin.”

“That’s not it and you know it. This is about the Greenskin Titan. This is about the prophecy I spoke to you about. I said you were destined for greatness. I said you were destined to lead the Orks in the Time of Ending but what this really is about is that you are jealous. You think you are worthy of being the chosen ‘un but you are not. YOU AREN’T GRIMGOR!”

“I KNOW DAMN WELL I AIN’T GRIMGOR. NO ORK WILL EVA’ COME CLOSE TO GRIMGOR. HE WOULDN’T ‘AVE SAT BACK AND WOULD PLAN SOME’DING OUT TO SAVE DA DAY. I KNOW DAMN WELL I AIN’T DA GREENSKIN TITAN. I DON’T CARE ABOUT DAT. DESPITE DA FACT DAT DEY BE HUMIES, DEY WERE CREATED BY DA GOD TITAN TOO. DEY DESERVE OUR RESPECT AND HONOR. DIS IS NOT HONOR. IF I LOSE ME STATUS, WHO ZOGGIN CARES? DIS IS MY CHOICE. AND I’M SAVING DEM!” Ghazghkull and Wurrzag continued to stare each other down. Bertholdt could feel the tension rising like a volcano about to erupt. He had to do something before they started fighting each other.

“Wait,” he said quietly but loud enough for both to look at him. “There is another way to…to figure out the truth in the mountain. I go in for you.”

He couldn’t believe he had suggested that but deep down he knew there was no other option. If there was a portal there inside the mountain, this was the one chance he had to activate and get back to Reiner and Annie. He was willing to risk it.

He then felt the confidence rise in him. Again, it felt good and he felt like he was pumping with adrenaline. He was scared but he was determined to see this through.

“I will go in there for you. I’m a _Gretchin_. They won’t suspect me. Everyone is there anyway so there will be a lot of them there. That can easily help me slip by. I can spy on Orkimedes and I can find out what he is doing. Afterwards, I will try to find a way back to you.”

Ghazghkull held up his hand. “No Bert’oldt. Dis is not your concern. Dis is Ork buz’nez. I can’t send yuz in dere.”

“Why? I’m your slave. I’m replaceable.”

“No. You is not.”

“Why? Is it because of my Titan? You don’t want me to be killed so I can be used as your weapon.”

“No. I never planned on using yuz as a weapon.”

“Then why will you not let me go and help you?”

“BECAUSE YUZ BE ZOGGIN MORE DEN DAT. YUZ MY FRIEND BERT’OLDT!”

Bertholdt was shocked at the surprise sentiment. He knew he enjoyed his company but to be called his friend; Bertholdt didn’t believe it. Orks didn’t have friends; only slaves and boyz to help them rule the world.

But then again, Ghazghkull was different.

After a couple minutes of silence, Bertholdt walked in front of Ghazghkull and looked up and stared straight into his eyes. “I did not know you considered me a friend. Believe me when I say I……I am honored to hear that. I don’t…really have any.” He took a few breaths but didn’t waver from looking at the Warboss. “But you need help. That’s where I come in. I can do this for you, and I can help your people be better. You said you want to redeem them right? Let me help you. That’s what friends do Ghazghkull.”

Ghazghkull snorted but didn’t say anything. After about three minutes had passed, Ghazghkull had a smile grow on his face. “How about dat? Yuz may be an Ork afta all.” Bertholdt couldn’t help but blush at the compliment.

“Alright lanky. What be da plan?”

……

The girl continued to breathe heavily as her chest rose up and down at a steady pace. She seemed at peace, which Bertholdt could only imagine was hard to find here. After going over the plan several times, he went to check on the girl to see how she was.

He had hoped she was awake. He wanted to see if she was okay, but Bertholdt was sure he knew the answer to that. Bertholdt couldn’t imagine losing anyone close to him like what the girl’s did. Bertholdt didn’t want to think if it was Reiner or Annie being crushed under Orkimedes’s giant boot.

He continued to look at her. He still couldn’t believe that he went out of his way and risked being killed to save someone he didn’t even know. Back during Warrior Training, teamwork was highly recommended and practiced but sacrificing for others was frowned upon. This was considered a weakness by the instructors and that it was always ‘encouraged’ to leave the wounded behind to complete the mission.

Bertholdt hated that idea. His mind then flashed to Marcel. He sacrificed himself to save Reiner, who wasn’t actually supposed to be on this mission. To be the Armored Titan. Yet Marcel pushed him out of the way only to be devoured by a Titan to save Reiner’s life. That sacrifice led to his death. He would never see his family again. He would never see Porco again. Never have the chance to have a family or love somebody.

Yet Bertholdt still risked his life to save her. The reasoning could have been the same as to why he saved Marco and the other kids from the snatchers. He was the cause of so much pain and destruction that he didn’t want to see anyone else suffer. True, it wasn’t really to related what had happened today, but he couldn’t shake the feeling it was. On his way to Trost, he had passed a dozen children and parents who were sobbing over their lost family. It was the same as the girl crying for her mother.

That wasn’t the only thing on his mind. He continued to play back the promise he made to Briggs about escaping and telling whoever Yarrick was about Orkimedes and the lightning around the mountain. In the heat of the moment, Bertholdt promised him so Briggs would leave him to escape. He didn’t really have any intention of actually fulfilling it but a small nagging part of him wasn’t giving in.

_That man looked you straight in the eyes. Not as a child but as a fellow warrior. He believes that you can get to Armageddon and inform the people of what’s coming. You could save people for once instead of bringing them pain and suffering. Are you telling me your promise was a lie? Are you really going to let him down?_

**ACT ON THE LITTLE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE AND DO THE RIGHT THING. STOP BEING A COWARD.**

Bertholdt shot up to his feet and hit his back against the wall. He instantly started sweating and looked all over. It turned out Ghazghkull had actually opened the door. Bertholdt suddenly felt embarrassed and felt like an idiot. “Calm down Bert’oldt. I came to see if yuz was ready.”

 _Right. The plan I volunteered for._ Bertholdt peeled himself off the wall slowly and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Well; attempted to but it seemed to still be going. With a snort, he gave up and stood in front of the Warboss.

“Yuz look like yuz seen a ghost. That…uh…isn’t a power your Titan ‘az, is it?” Bertholdt rubbed the back of his neck at the awkward question. Of course, the Colossal Titan didn’t have ghost powers. If so, it would probably drive him insane. Then again, the voice he heard in his head had him wondering. _Whatever. That’s for another time._

“No. No ghost. Just nervous about what I signed on for.”

Ghazghkull seemed to nod at this and motioned for Bertholdt to follow him. They ended back up in the throne room. Ghazghkull sat in his throne while Bertholdt stood in front of him. “Alright Bert’oldt. Tell me what’z on yuz mind.”

For some odd reason, his trust in the huge monstrous beast was enough to tell him. “I’m scared about doing this. But I can’t help it. I want to help. Seeing what happened reminded me of the pure chaos I created back…where I came from. You see; before I came here, I was basically a slave for another klan called Marley. Since I was born, I was told I was evil, and I was bred from devils. I was treated like garbage there but suddenly I was chosen to bear this power I have now. That’s how I got this power. It was forced upon me. It transforms me into a gargantuan monster that destroys everything in sight. It hurts to transform and I hate doing it.” Ghazghkull leaned in and rested his head on his knuckles as he continued to listen. “Recently, I used my power to make a hole in a wall of my ‘enemy.’ I crushed many with the debris but that wasn’t the worst part. Because of me, other mindless Titans waltzed right in and devoured so many innocent people. As my friends and I infiltrated the enemy, I saw the results of my actions up close. I have never seen it before. Since then, I have been afraid to use them. What happened at the shanty reminded me of what I saw and what I did.”

He stopped talking to see if Ghazghkull wanted to say something. After a few moments of silence, Ghazghkull asked a simple question. “Does it make yuz feel powerful every time yuz use it?”

Bertholdt’s breath started to hitch. Never before had he been asked that question. He didn’t know what to say.

“Does it make yuz feel powerful?”

“Um…. I…?”

“Does it make yuz feel powerful?”

“I-I…don’t…?”

“Grimgor’z Axe; answer me Bert’oldt. Does it make yuz feel powerful?”

“YES. OKAY. I DO FEEL POWERFUL EVERY DAMN TIME I USE IT. THAT’S WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST.”

Bertholdt started to tear up as he had never admitted it before. Truth be told, he had felt that way since he got it. Reiner had always said he felt so strong and powerful since he got the hang of the Armored Titan. Marcel would always talk about how he felt free in a way to act on his own accord whenever he transformed. Annie didn’t say anything but Bertholdt could tell she felt like it too. But him, he had the most power out of all of them. He liked being powerful. Whenever he was the Colossal Titan, he felt the power. He was no longer a pushover, a disappointment, a pussy, a failure. He was the most powerful being alive. With one slit of a finger, he could annihilate a single city and millions of people. His steam could melt skin to the bone and could smash buildings in a single step. He liked feeling powerful and it would help him forget his life as a miserable kid.

That was what scared him.

Being a kid who treasured life, he didn’t want to feel that way. It went against everything he believed regardless of his status. Secretly, every time he turned into the Colossal, he was afraid he wasn’t going to come out. The feeling was so good, but he somehow always managed to crawl out of his nape. Whenever he went to his secret spot, he would cry for hours thinking about how much his Titan was turning him into something he wasn’t. He continued to pray to be rid of the Titan but as always, it never came true. As long as he lived, he was one of the most powerful beings but under it all, he was a scared little kid.

He was taken out of his focus when he felt Ghazghkull’s hand on his shoulder. Bertholdt looked up at the Ork and saw what he could only describe as sadness but understanding.

“Lizzen. I may neva know what itz like with da power yuz have. What I can tell, it’z a ‘ard burden yuz carry with yuz. But I believe dat yuz be stronger dan you dink. Yuz ‘ave dis power dat can make yuz a terrible weapon. Yuz fear da power and how it can taint you. Dat is da way of da true warrior. Grimgor told me once dat to fear da power is da first step to controlling it. If what yuz tellin me is true, den yuz on da way to controlling dat power yuz fear. But yuz ‘ave to keep going. Yuz can’t stay bein’ scared. It’z up to yuz to figure out if yuz are da Titan or Bert’oldt ‘Oover.”

Bertholdt was shocked by the wise answer from the giant Ork. Once again, Ghazghkull continued to surprise him. He was unlike any of his kind and if he wanted to be like anyone, he wanted to be like the Warboss. Strong, powerful, wise, controlled, and most of all, a friend to everyone.

Bertholdt didn’t know what came over him but he immediately wrapped his arms around Ghazghkull and hugged him tight still with tears streaking down his face. But this time, he was smiling knowing that someone listened to his internal struggles. Most of all, he smiled knowing that someone believed in him. He couldn’t remember anyone who really had before.

It was clear Ghazghkull had no idea what was going on, so he just put his arms on his shoulders and patted him softly. Bertholdt couldn’t help but laugh. He let go of Ghazghkull and took a step back. “That was a hug Warboss. You throw your arms around another and pull them close.”

He raised his eyebrow in utter confusion. “Why da zog would ya do dat? Why not ‘eadbutt? Dat showz companionz’ip with da boyz.”

Bertholdt wiped away his tears and laughed even more. “No. It’s to show that we care about each other. It’s also a way to say thank you, friendship, love, and a whole lot of other things. I guess a hug can mean everything.”

Ghazghkull just scratched his head. “Yuz humies are weird gits aren’t ya?”

It was at that time when Wurrzag entered the room. “Boss. Bertholdt. It is time.”

……

The sun was beginning to set as the trukk drove down the road heading towards Big ‘Un Mountain. Ghazghkull peered out the window as he looked upon the huge mountain that pierced the clouds. According to Ork belief, this was were the first Orks were made by the One Who Creates by building the mountain as a bridge to reach the sky where he lived. Supposedly, he rolled the firstborn down the mountain like boulders. Those that survived gained the tough hide that all Orks have now. Each firstborn soon went on to form the great klans that live today.

Now that mark of special importance was supposedly being defiled by Orkimedes. He had noticed the lightning around the mountain before, but he just assumed that it was nature and thought nothing of it. When Bert’oldt told him that a _Gretchin_ confided in him that the lightning was unnatural and was a product of whatever the Big Mek was creating, Ghazghkull was enraged. For too long, Orkimedes had put aside the values all Orks hold dear and tainted his klan with his desires and his hunger for power.

What angered him more was his Warlord, Gorbad Ironclaw. He was a close friend, and both were birthed together from the same mountain. Both were originally from the Goff klan but Gorbad quickly outgrew it. After he tamed a rare Wyvern, he became famous among the klans and was quickly believed to be the next wielder of the Ork Titan. Out of ego, he formed his own klan, the Ironclaws, and soon became a dominate power among the klans. They had support from half of the great klans and under his leadership, the Orks beefed up their power and he soon led a campaign against the humies.

Things were going well until they reached the dreaded city of Armageddon. There, the feared and highly respected Lord Commissar Yarrick fought back the many tides of Orks without any breaching his walls. Ghazghkull and Yarrick dueled many times and though Ghazghkull won the duel, he would always play his trump card and disappear. In Yarrick’s words, Ghazghkull would win the duel but lose the battle instead. They both fought to a stalemate and both respected each other.

However, this did not appease Gorbad. Even on his Wyvern, Krimson Killa, Yarrick would always be one step ahead of him. It didn’t matter to the boyz because as long as they had a fight to go to, they didn’t care about victories or loses. Gorbad became increasingly frustrated until the mysterious Orkimedes came into the picture. Having upgraded the Mekboy caste into gaining much prosperity, he said he had a plan to lay waste to the damned city and become the ultimate power of Hellworld.

All he required were numberless shipments of _Gretchins_.

Since then, Gorbad has forced all the klans to give as many _Gretchins_ to Orkimedes as they could. Many were never seen again and those that were never spoke of the horrors and either continued to work or killed themselves. Ghazghkull had tried many times to appeal to his comrade but Gorbad was fiercely content to lead the greatest Waaagh and prove himself worthy of the Titan the One Who Creates blessed the Orks with. Ghazghkull had no idea what to do.

Then Wurrzag came into the picture. He was known throughout the Ork race as da Great Green Prophet, the chosen one of the One Who Creates to speak prophecies and visions to those he believed to be worthy. He had been around for three different Warlord’s reigns which meant he was older than any Ork in existence. When he came to Ghazghkull and told him he was meant to be the greatest Ork until the end of days, Ghazghkull couldn’t help but be excited. However, he couldn’t betray his friend and never truly followed Wurrzag’s advice.

Seeing how bad things were getting now for his home and people, he was regretting not listening to Wurrzag and wondered what it could have been if he had just listened.

When Ghazghkull arrived at the foot of the mountain, he exited his trukk only to be met by a group of Ironclaw Orks. They surrounded his trukk like they were expecting a fight. The Nob of the group raised his axe and Slugga Pistol as he moved closer. “What do ya dink yuz be doin ‘ere? Dis be only for da Warlord’s eyez only. Yuz best run before I’z smash dat stoopid ‘ead of yourz.”

Ghazghkull stepped forward to meet him. He was soon towering over the Nob who shrunk at the sight of him up close. “I be here to speak with da Warlord ‘imself. I ‘eard ‘is presence was expected ‘ere. I wantz to speak with my mountain-brudda and Warlord as I be his Warboss. Now howz about yuz move before I split ya ‘ead in two and ‘ave da Squigs fight ova ya dead carcass,” Ghazghkull said calmly but with so much ferocity the Nob couldn’t help but step back.

The Nob gulped but surprisingly stood his ground. “No. We haz orders. Boyz, let’s gut dis zoggin git.” The Orks grabbed their weapons and didn’t hesitate to charge. Ghazghkull sighed and was glad he didn’t bring his armor. He didn’t want to clean it again.

He grabbed the first charging Ork by the head and easily lifted him over his head. He then used him like a club and smashed the closest Ork with him three to four times until he died. He then held the first Ork above his head and broke his back by slamming his spine into Ghazghkull’s knee. The Ork cried in pain but Ghazghkull didn’t give him much time as he lodged the boy’s own axe into his skull. He turned to hold his ground as the third and fourth Ork charged him. They barely moved him and in their shock, Ghazghkull slammed a fist into the third’s chest, sending him on his hands and knees. He then quickly grabbed the fourth’s jaw with both hands and ripped it off. The Ork screamed but was silenced as Ghazghkull shoved the Ork’s jaw into his own head killing him. After he fell to the ground, he grabbed the fallen Ork’s axe and turned quickly to throw in at another charging Ork. It slammed him straight in the skull with so much force that it sent him flying backwards.

All that remained were four others, including the Nob and the wheezing Ork next to him. One Ork panicked and fired his Shoota at the Warboss but Ghazghkull was faster than he realized. He grabbed the Ork by the neck and slammed him into the ground. The Ork whimpered as the terrifying figure of Ghazghkull forcibly grabbed his face with one hand and smashed it against the hard floor; forming a puddle where the Ork’s head used to be. He then grabbed the Shoota and used it as a shield to block the other Ork’s clumsy blows. He then kicked to Ork’s stomach sending him to his knees and forced the Shoota into his mouth and opened fire; producing charring holes in the now deceased Ork’s body. He straightened his back and began making his way to the cowering Nob. On his way to him, the wheezing Ork tried to stand but was quickly kicked on his stomach. He wasn’t able to look about as Ghazghkull slammed his boot into the Ork’s head sending blood and gore everywhere.

Ghazghkull started towards the Nob again who started firing his Slugga in panic, but all the shoots missed him. In desperation, he charged the Warboss and swung his axe only for it to be caught by Ghazghkull. He threw a punch but that was also grabbed by Ghazghkull’s other hand. The Nob was then screaming in terror as Ghazghkull snorted. “Yuz shoulda let me in ya cowering grot.” That was the last thing the Ork heard before Ghazghkull headbutted him so hard that the Nob’s head was flattened into what could only be described as a flat pancake. He tossed the Nob aside and cracked his knuckles and neck.

He then heard a pleased laugh from he knew all too well. He turned to see Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw making his way towards him being escorted by Orkimedes and a few Black Ork bodyguards. Gorbad Ironclaw was about the same size as Ghazghkull with a minor difference in height and weight. Though Gorbad was taller and had more fat, Ghazghkull made up for it and sheer muscle density. Despite Gorbad’s appearance, he was evenly matched with Ghazghkull in combat. He wore a boarskin cape and on his back stood his boss pole. On it were the trophy heads of his greatest challengers, both humie and Ork, and above it all was the banner of his klan. He wore a spiked helmet and had a heavyset piece of Scrap Armor on him. In his right hand, he held his favored battleaxe Morglor the Mangler. Ghazghkull had watched many times how Gorbad decapitated his enemies with his legendary weapon. “I ‘ave to say dat I be glad dat ya ‘aven’t lost yuz figthin’ spirit brudda.” He walked over to Ghazghkull and offered his arm. Ghazghkull answered with smacking his hand on Gorbad’s arm while Gorbad grabbed his arm and they tightened their grips . They then headbutted each other and had a quick laugh. “Sorry about my boyz. Though it seems yuz ‘ave eliminated some grots from my klan. I prefer to ‘ave proper boyz in my Waaagh and not dese pathetic excuses.”

“Be proud a little, Warlord. Dey stood deir ground til dey died. Take some pride in dat.” Gorbad laughed and slapped Ghazghkull on the shoulder. “I remember Grimgor saying dat to us when we were little whelpz. I miss Grimgor.”

Ghazghkull couldn’t help but look down. “I feel da same every day.”

Gorbad placed a hand on his shoulder. “Enough dwelling on da past. It seemz Orkimedes was expectin yuz so wez came down to meet ya. He says he ‘az some’ding to show me and I wanted me trusted Warboss with me.”

Orkimedes smiled evilly at the mention of it and moved in closer to the mountain-brothers. “By da way Warboss, where iz ya _Gretchin_? I asked for all of dem and I didn’t see ya bring ‘im.” Ghazghkull went over to him and glared at him. “I had da Immortulz bring ‘im ‘ere. Ya probably didn’t see ‘im because ya one real eye must be getting’ bad.”

Orkimedes frowned and turned. “We’ll see.” He began making his way back to the mountain. “Come both of yuz. It’z time to unveil what I ‘az been working on for da biggest Waaagh in ‘istory. I just ‘ope da last piece comes quickly.”

……

Bertholdt was happy to no longer be under the truck. Hanging on to the bottom of it was hard work especially with how bumpy and uneven the roads were. He wished Wurrzag could have thought of another way to get in, but he said it was the only way. So, he bore the brunt of it until they stopped. When they finally arrived, Ghazghkull did his job of distracting the guards. A little much in Bertholdt’s opinion but after what he saw the Orks do in the shanties, they deserved it.

He had to admit it was fascinated by the way Ghazghkull fought. In only a matter of minutes, he had reduced the enemy to corpses and smashed heads with ease. It somewhat reminded him of Annie and how she fought a group of kids during training. They wanted to beat her up as a bet which did not go well for them. Magath thought very highly of her after that. Soon after, she was announced to be the chosen wielder of the Female Titan the next day.

Snapping out of his flashback, he followed the directions Wurrzag had given him to find a secret entrance to the mountain. If Wurrzag was right, this would lead him through the tough mountain rocks and would lead him to the top level which was off-limits to _Gretchins_ and non-Mekboyz. It was there that Bertholdt was confident he would find a way home and leave this messed up world behind. He spotted what seemed like a vent and started the process of crawling through. It wasn’t a tight squeeze, but he still had to worm his way through. It was far from comfortable.

His mind still flashed to Briggs, He promised him that he would fulfill the objective Briggs believed he could not complete but thought Bertholdt could. Bertholdt tried to block the promise out but the nagging only seemed to grow to where half of him wanted to find Briggs and help him complete his objective.

_No. You have a mission. You have to get back to Annie and Reiner. Marcel sacrificed himself to see this mission through. You sentenced a third of the Walls’ population to death to complete your mission. This isn’t your world. Your people. They can survive on their own._

_What about that girl you saved? She has to live the rest of her life without her family. You may as well have just left her there to die._

_What if Annie or Reiner were in my shoes? They would have easily left them behind to find a way out. This wouldn’t be hard for them. They don’t care about any other people except their families. I need to help them get home._

_By sentencing another large mass of people to an agonizing death by slavery and brutality? Who knows what they are doing to them here? You have the power of the Colossal Titan. You can save them. You can do something._

_Or get captured trying to be a hero that I know I will never be. I am literally called the God of Death for a reason. The Colossal was made to destroy cities and kill people, not help anyone. Even I did want to help, I would only kill the people I would allegedly save in the explosion._

_So leaving them is the best option? What kind of person are you exactly? Are you so scared of risking your life to save others that you will willingly not bat an eye at the evils here?_

_I’m not saying that. I want to do something but what can I do. What is there to do?_

**STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE. IF YOU KEEP DOING THAT, YOU ARE NO WARRIOR. YOU ARE JUST A SCARED CHILD WHO LET MANY MORE DIE JUST TO SAVE HIS OWN SKIN. THAT’S CALLED A COWARD.**

He covered his ears as the loud voice in his head made his ears ring. “Who the hell is saying that? Get out of my head.” After the ringing stopped, he took a deep breath and continued to crawl.

He was getting worried about that voice that yelled at him whenever it wanted. Ever since he arrived on Hellworld, the voice had gone from barely audible to a roaring engine in his head. Back in Liberio, it would say something every one or two years after he gained the power of the Colossal. He figured it was an old shifter that was speaking to him, but it didn’t sound human at all. It couldn’t be the Colossal since it couldn’t speak. So what was invading his mind right now?

He was so distracted that he finally reached a grate underneath him. He moved over it and began kicking it with his feet. It wasn’t really secure, and it fell easily to the ground with a bang. He waited for a couple minutes to see if anyone heard him, but he heard no reaction. He crawled backwards and dropped to the floor. He was in a hallway and after he looked both ways more than five times, he went the way that led him towards the center of the mountain.

He opened the door to find himself inside the mountain. He took a minute to be awed by what he saw. All around, huge conveyor belts moved large materials and scrap around. It would either go into separate holes in the wall or drop down to the bottom of the ground. He then looked closer at the bottom of the mountain’s factory. Down below, thousands of slaves were working on the material down below. They were making what seemed like a combination of huge scrap armor and huge cannons. Whatever they were building, it was big enough that the Colossal could possible use them as weapons. But then he saw the bodies, those who seemed to have been worked to death or killed by the Orks for fun or submission. They were in a huge piles next to a huge pit of lave. He watched as a group of slaves piled bodies onto a wheelbarrow and dumped them into the pit. The bodies quickly disappeared, and they went back to collecting bodies. A group of Orks walked on by and laughed at the slaves. Suddenly, a slave tripped and hit one of the Orks, making him stumble. The Ork got pissed and grabbed the slave by the neck and threw him into the pit. The screams were atrocious and Bertholdt looked away. He couldn’t bear to see that man burning alive.

Out of sheer coincidence, Bertholdt saw two huge Orks moving towards a group of slaves. They seemed to cower as the lowered their battleaxes and motioned them to follow them. The slaves didn’t move but seemed to be very empowered to move when they began slamming the butts of their weapons on the ground. Some of them were crying as they were forced to move. One of the slaves fell but was quickly helped by a man Bertholdt recognized.

_Briggs. He’s still alive._

One of the big Orks then grabbed Briggs’s shoulder and threw him to his feet. He shoved with him with the edge of his axe and the group made their way to what seemed like an elevator. The big Ork knocked on the elevator door and it opened up. The slaves were shoved inside and the Orks followed them in. Bertholdt saw that there was no other way up. Bertholdt got up and saw that the balcony he was on was very close to the elevator. Without having time to think about how crazy he was being, he started running towards the elevator as it began to ascend. As the elevator began to reach his level, he turned and jumped over the railing. He landed straight on his stomach and it knocked the wind out of him.

After he caught his breath, he looked up and saw that the elevator was still going up further to the higher levels. The elevator finally stopped and Bertholdt quickly got to his feet. He peeked over the edge and saw some Mekboyz walking around. The door opened and the slaves and big Orks walked through. The big Orks then turned and went behind the elevator. They were climbing up to which Bertholdt responded by doing something he thought was completely reckless.

He jumped down and quickly joined the group of slaves.

“Bertholdt,” Briggs said surprised and startled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

 _Trying to find a way home. Not going through with my promise I made you. Possibly leaving all of you to die._ Yeah; totally great answers.

“I came here to see what is happening. I don’t think Yarr…uh…lock-”

“Yarrick.”

“Yeah, Yarrick. I didn’t think he would just be satisfied with just lightning occurring around the mountain. I figured I’d learn what is happening here so I can get more details.” God, his stomach hurt as he told his lies to relieve Briggs.

Brigg’s relieved face then furrowed into one of curiosity. “Okay, I get that, but you must be insane to come here. We are on the top level and the elevator seems to be the only way out. We are in Orkimedes’ lair now. You’re trapped here with us now.”

Bertholdt shrugged as he could understand the logic. “Well…at least I know I have someone who..ah..has…my back.” Briggs couldn’t help but smile, even with the hell happening around him right now. How could someone seem to look on the bright side at a time like this?

Before Briggs could say more, the huge Orks returned from their search of the elevator. Bertholdt recognized them as Black Orks. According to Ghazghkull, they were perhaps the toughest breed of Ork. Born in the undergrounds of a volcano not too far from here, they are born with a thicker hide and supposedly were much calmer than their cousins. Or was it angrier and they just hide it better? He couldn’t remember. They were often used as bodyguards and bosses among the boyz. All he knew was he didn’t want to get into a fight with one.

They looked among the slaves to see if anything was out of the ordinary, but they just shrugged and barked at the group to move. As they passed through the hallways, Bertholdt looked around to peer into the many doors to see Orks being chained to a hard surface and were having many cords and machinery being plugged into them. It all looked like a nightmare to him but the Orks seemed fine with it.

At the end of the hall lied a very secured door. It was huge and big enough to where Reiner’s Titan could easily walk through. _What are they doing behind this door? This could be the way home…I hope._ He turned to Briggs to see him looking at another room with an Ork chained to a surface. He then saw a Mekboy heading over to a control panel and he started forcibly pressing buttons. When he was done, he moved to a huge lever and then pulled it.

Suddenly, the chained Ork began to irradiate bright lights from its body as the Ork screamed in agony. He struggled but he could not seem to get free as he began spasming due to whatever the Mekboy did to him. Bertholdt then noticed small lightning moving through the cords and wires which seemed to go through the top of the ceiling. When the lightning eventually stopped coming, the Ork’s body stopped moving. But his eyes were not paralyzed as it frantically looked around. Then two other Orks grabbed his body and dragged him away.

Bertholdt shuddered at whatever the hell just happened. The Ork was paralyzed and only his eyes were the only thing that could move. How could these creatures be so cruel to willingly test on their own species and not have second thoughts?

Suddenly, the titanic door opened slowly and the Black Orks began funneling the slaves in one by one. As Bertholdt went through the door, he was scared to see what was on the other side. After seeing all that had just happened, he wasn’t ready to see what Orkimedes had in his evil lair.

As he entered, he noticed that the room was darker than the other side. It seemed like it could be night and you wouldn’t know the difference. All that lit up the room was colored lights that emitted darker light for the slaves and Orks to see. They were escorted through the ominous hall and Bertholdt tried to survey his surroundings. What he could make out of the dark hallways were the huge cages located on the sides of the hallway.

All of a sudden, the group heard something stir. They couldn’t see but the Orks began to laugh. The Black Orks stopped the group and motioned them to watch what was about to unfold. Out of the shadows, two Ork boyz were dragging a struggling woman who was crying for help. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mess up the scrap piece. A noise shocked me and my hand fidgeted. I promise I won’t do it again. Please. PLEASE. DON’T PUT ME IN THERE.” The Orks just chuckled as they opened the cage door and threw her in. But not before cutting her left leg off with an axe. She screamed in pain as she held her bleeding stump with both hands. The Orks nodded at the presiding Mekboy and he pressed a button. Bertholdt saw what seemed to be a circle of electricity flash in the darkness.

This made the woman panic as she began to crawl towards the cage. She reached out her hand to Bertholdt since he was the closest slave to the cage. “PLEASE. HELP ME. DON’T LET ME DIE THIS WAY.” Her scream urged Bertholdt to help but his instincts told him to stay put. What came out of the shadows made the slaves hold their breath. Bertholdt felt his knees weaken as they wanted to fall to the floor in fright as a large humanoid hand reached out and grabbed the woman. The woman screamed as she was raised off the ground as the large dark figure came into the hollow light.

It was a Pure Titan. One that seemed about 13 meters tall. It had a fit body and the terrifying smiling face of a man. It gazed at the woman before it opened its mouth. The woman screamed all she could and ended violently when the Titan slammed its teeth on her struggling body. Her leg came flying off and landed close to Bertholdt’s feet. He couldn’t fight the bile rising to his mouth and vomiting it out after he witnessed the horrific scene. The Orks laughed and after a while, Briggs helped him to his feet as the Black Orks began to move them forward.

_Titans? Here? I thought we were on a different planet. How are there Titans here?_

Briggs moved closer to Bertholdt clearly seeing him in distress. He put a calming hand on his shoulder and leaned close to his ear. “What the hell was that? That monster looked horrifically human. Is it a new breed of Troll? A mutated beast?”

“No. It’s worse than that. That was a Titan. It’s a terrifying monster that was once a person. Now, that person has been transformed into a brainless beast that acts on only one instinct, to eat humans and nothing else.” Briggs’s grip on Bertholdt’s shoulder tightened as Briggs seemed to process the news.

“So what? Anything can be killed. We just need to hit that thing with tons of firepower, and it will go down easily. Just like any enemy.”

Bertholdt shook his head and looked at the soldier in vain. “The Titans have extremely powerful regenerative traits. You could blow their head off and they would just grow it back. They are extremely durable and can take a beating. Only a huge strike to their nape,” Bertholdt pointed to the back of his neck, “can kill them. The science isn’t clear, but it has been proven.”

That didn’t cheer up Briggs in the slightest. “And they only are after man. They only eat us. Why is that? Preferred prey?” Bertholdt knew that the Pure Titans only ate man so in the tiny unconscious hope that one of their victims would have one of the nine Titans and return to their human form. It was cruel and sad, but the Titans were still dangerous. Now here of all places, a world away from his home, the Titans still posed a danger to him.

Of course, he wouldn’t tell Briggs that. Not that he would understand what it all meant anyways. It would have sounded like a terrible fantasy. Yet Bertholdt could not decide if one world seemed better than the other. It was hard to pick. Each had so few (and he emphasized on few) pros and so many (and he emphasized on many) cons. In both worlds, he was a slave but at least in his, he was able to move and speak freely.

They continued to be moved through the twists and turns that was Orkimedes’s lair. There were so many experimental weapons and large battlesuits that seemed to carry the limb Orks. Despite their cruelty, Bertholdt had to respect the Orks about one thing; their drive to expand and improve. Though much of everything they built was from scrap and other resources of the planet, but it was still amazing with all they could do with it. He guessed that it was an advantage because of their seemingly infinite numbers so they could test this out and if the volunteer died, there were plenty more ready to try.

After all, according to Ghazghkull, it was an Orks dream to be stronger and if anything helps, they will take it in a heartbeat.

They arrived at a huge circling room with scrap-like chairs on the walls and a forest of wires and cords draped across the ceiling. Standing by each chair was a Mekboy and all were sneering viciously. Bertholdt started to sweat as he took the scenery in.

“What…do you think they will do to…u-us-us?” Bertholdt sturred nervously at Briggs. “I don’t know. Whatever they intend on doing, it’s going to be a lot of fun for them. And I don’t think that’s good for us.”

He turned to Bertholdt and knelt down to speak with him eye-to-eye. “Do you have a plan to get out of here? There seems to be no way out so unless you have a magical way out, you might cease to live soon.”

What a calm, swell thing to say to a 11-year-old child.

“Well, well, well. This is not what I was expecting to see. I guess I owe Orkimedes a week of demeaning tasks, but I do not care.”

Bertholdt froze at the sound of the familiar voice. The person the voice belonged to was the very reason he had ran into that cave. The reason he was stranded here. The reason he became a slave to the Orks. The reason he wasn’t with Reiner and Annie.

Bertholdt was then violently turned around and was glared at by the one-eyed man he was captured by and escaped from.

“You truly are here. Now the fun can truly begin.” The one-eyed man looked at the Black Ork next to him. “Your boss wants to see them. He sent me here to make sure he was the actual one. I’m taking him and the soldier. Then it’s going to be a time I will truly cherish.”

He laughed as two other Black Orks came from behind him and grabbed hold of Bertholdt and Briggs as they followed the treacherous figure that was Valmir Gausser.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Orks: Perhaps the strongest breed of Ork, they are larger and tougher than their regular cousins. Born within the volcanic undergrounds of what the Orks call 'the Dark Lands,' they are born with darker skin and tend to always be angry. The difference is they channel their energy in their attacks in battle and are powerful berserkers if extremely angered. Often carrying armor-sundering Battleaxes and armor made of Troll-skin and rocks, the Black Orks often act as bodyguards to the bosses such as Ghazghkull's Immortulz. 
> 
> Grimgor Ironhide: The latest and most famed Ork to ever unite the klans in a single Waaagh and wield the powerful Greenskin Titan. Born a Black Ork, he was a rare case who managed to let go of his anger which boosted his intelligence and strategy. He founded the Immortulz and was coronated at the peak of Big 'Un Mountain. Wielding his mighty Battleaxe Gitsnik, he led his Waaagh against the Terran Imperium, Skaven ratmen, and the horrifying forces of the Dark Continent. He launched a campaign into the Dark Continent for unknown reasons but never returned. The Orks still wonder if he is dead or not, but his legend lives on as "Da Biggest of dem All."


	7. Bred from Cruelty

_Valmir Gausser woke up being dragged by two gargantuan Orks that he swore had purple skin this time. Then again, he was missing his right eye and man did it hurt like hell. It made his vision so blurry as he faded between consciousness as he continued to be dragged like a fucking rag doll._

_After a few more minutes, the Orks opened a door and threw him in. Valmir began to rise to his feet but one of the Orks came over and kicked him in the lungs over and over. After the creature had his fun, he spit on Valmir’s face and turned around. Valmir then heard the door shut and sighed in a pained relief._

_“Oh my god Valmir.” Valmir rubbed his one eye and his vision began to clear. After blinking a few times, he recognized one of his fellow brigands. His name was Vick and he was new to the gig. If there was a gig anymore. “Are you alright boss?”_

_Valmir always thought of him as a good kid. He was the good egg of the group and was always kind to the snatched people they took and was popular among the brigands for making everyone feel comfortable. Vick was perhaps the one person he actually somewhat enjoyed being around._

_Valmir angrily waved off his advances to check him out. “I’m fine Vick. You don’t need to check me. I just need to get to my feet.” He crawled to the wall and for about twenty minutes tried to get to his feet. He turned to look at Vick who had his arms crossed with an annoyed face. Valmir rolled his eye and huffed. “Fine.”_

_Vick ran over and helped him to his feet. He managed to carry him to a makeshift chair in the corner of the small room and sat him down. He checked his lungs, chest, and eye. Valmir then thought back to what brought him here. He was chasing the damn kid who put a knife in his eye. He had him cornered in the weirdly decorated cave and he had also killed his nagging boss Leonardo. Man, it felt good to do that. Then Hell broke loose as the kid somehow managed to activate the room and transport Valmir’s unconscious ass to the other fucking side of the world._

_Since then, he and his fellow snatchers had tried to survive in this place for two months. Almost every week, someone was lost for a multitude of reasons. Strange round creatures would attack and chew one unfortunate snatcher to pieces, what looked like large rats would emerge from nowhere and drag unsuspecting men away in the shadows. Even weird looking bug creatures would erupt from the ground and completely devour any unlucky snatcher they went for. At last, it was down to four men including him and Vick. They had found smoke and were making their way over until they were charged by a mob of Orks. Vick and Valmir were sold to what the Orks called the ‘Mekboyz’ while the other two were sold to the slavers of Black Crag._

_Vick was an excellent engineer so the one known as Orkimedes had him working day and night while Orkimedes used Valmir as a guinea pig for his experiments. On any day, (if he could recall what a day was) he was shocked by lightning, have scrap and tech implanted and taken out of him, test weird liquids, and other dreadful things. He was their bitch and he hated it._

_Orkimedes took a strange interest in him though. He seemed to deduce that he was not like the regular slaves he worked and was always making Valmir retell his story during every torturous test and experiments. He told his story about 100 times and after every test, he would recall the day again. After that, he was thrown into his cell to rot with Vick and eat whatever they gave him._

_With every day he was spending here pushing close to death, he defied the constant temptation to end his life with one desire that filled his mind; vengeance. Vengeance on the boy that ruined his life, Vengeance on the boy who sent him to what he believed to be hell. Vengeance on the boy who was responsible for his comrades’ death. Vengeance for the boy who took his eye. If he found the boy, the situation was quite literally going to be an eye for an eye._

_Vick tore a new piece of fabric off his ragged shirt and wrapped it around Valmir’s empty eye socket. “Can I ask you something?” Valmir just grunted as he did his best not to punch his not-as-much despised partner in the mouth and break his jaw in pain. “I saw what you did to Leonardo. You killed him without a shred of remorse. How…How could you do something like that?”_

_After he finished wrapping the cloth around his eye, Valmir placed his hand on the closest wall and began to stand up. He tripped numerous times, but he managed to steady himself to where he could safely walk on his own. He then turned to face Vick who began to stand up to make sure Valmir didn’t fall._

_“It has to do with the lesson I have learned as I grew up.” Valmir began to chuckle as he rubbed the fabric covering his eye socket. He could tell without looking that Vick was utterly confused right now. “Sorry sorry. I don’t think I have ever told anyone about my life story. It is no kid’s story, but you asked for it.” Valmir cleared his throat and licked his dry lips._

_“When I was young, no more than about nine years old, my father sold me to some slavers for alcohol money. I was then sent to a rich family where I was beaten and forced to do embarrassing feats and tasks for their amusement. One day, they invited a crowd over, and they threw me in a pit to fight another boy they bought. They had us fight in a mud pit naked. We were armed with nothing, so we had to punch and wrestle. The other boy was winning, and he was strangling me, but I didn’t want to die. I spit in his face and smashed his head on the ground until he died. At that time, I realized the tragic yet somehow enlightening truth about the world at that point. In order to live, you have to be crueler than the world. So that same night, I locked the rich family in their room and burned the house with them in it. From then on, I decided I would not let anyone make me their blind pet again.”_

_“So, after I turned thirteen, I joined the military and placed number 5 out of the top 10. So, I chose to be a member of the Military Police and I thrived at the job. Though I was a little rough and a little violent. While I worked with the MP’s during the day, I also worked as a mercenary for gangs and the upper society. I knew the layout of the Military well and I was being paid a lot of money from many clients. However, I signed on working for the Kabal as you know, and I did some jobs for them. Heh, they wanted to make me one of their Incubi’s which seems to be a great honor in their syndicate. The point is, I was my own man and I never again was ordered by anyone who thought me as a lesser. If they did, I killed them. Following the rule, I learned, I was powerful, rich, and surprisingly happy. That is…”_

_He paused as he remembered the tragic incident that led to his downfall. A scowl came from his mouth as he remembered the man who ruined his life._

_“Anyways, after an incident, I found myself in debt to the Kabal so I sent with Leonardo and you others who were also in debt to kidnap people and sell them at their slave markets. Once again, I was chained to a master. The Kabal owned me and Leonardo pulled my chain. I killed him because I remembered the cardinal rule that the world taught me. So, at that moment, killing Leonardo set me free once again. Though it seems to only have lasted for a short period as I am now in here rotting like a slave again.”_

_Vick blinked like he snapped out of a trance and dropped his shoulders a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that. That must have been terrible the way you were raised. But come on Valmir. If you took the time to look around, you can look past the cruelty. Once you do, it’s truly a beautiful sight to see.”_

_Valmir just growled and shook his head. “When you are basically bred from cruelty, you tend to only see cruelty. That may work for you but being cruel is how I survived. I suggest you learn that too before you die here.”_

_Just then, the menacing Orkimedes opened the cell door and strolled towards them; two huge Orks at his side. He had them stand at the side of the doors while he continued to move closer to the two men. Valmir was having trouble reading him. The mechanical abomination was really hard to figure out._

_“Al’ight. I ‘ave a propos’hion for yuz; Dead-Eye.”_

_Valmir raised his eyebrow in interest and curiosity. This Ork didn’t really speak to him unless to ask him about how he got here and his backstory. Now, he was coming with a proposition and for some reason, it seemed like a good thing to Valmir. He pulled out a small circular device and clicked a few buttons. “Dis be da boy yuz be so intent to gut?” Suddenly, an image appeared and Valmir couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the boy. The fucking boy was alive and the Ork knew where he was._

_“I want to kill that boy. I NEED to kill that boy. I need to take revenge on him. He is the reason I am here and missing my eye. Where can I find him?” Orkimedes held up his index finger and waved it side to side and clicking his tongue._

_“Yuz be getting’ a’ead of ya’self humie. First. I needz to zee dat yuz be willin’ to do any’ding I say. Based on our…heh…’zessions’…yuz don’t like being a stoopid boy who takes orderz. I respect dat but dat iz ‘alf what I be lookin’ for.” He stepped closer to Valmir to look him straight in his one eye. Valmir swore his mechanical eye was scanning him for weaknesses. “Are ya wantin’ to be ma perzonal assassin? Ma knife I’z wield behind ma back? Yuz may be workin’ ‘owever ya like and do whateva yuz please. Ya won’t be a dumb Gretchin but ya will answer to me and me only. Ya won’t ‘ezitate in followin’ ma command and ma word will be law. Do dat and yuz will be free to do whateva’ yuz wish. Doez dat sound like a ‘bargain’ as yuz humiez call it?_

_This Ork was clever and he seemed to know that Valmir craved. He wanted to be free and the Ork was basically asking him to be his assassin and spy. He wouldn’t be chained to slavery but instead be a loyal mercenary to him. Of course, one like Vick would see it as indentured servitude but to Valmir; this was too good. The chance to have revenge on the boy and be a hired gun for this mad Ork was the offer of a lifetime._

_“Yes boss. I will do anything you say. As long as I get to kill the boy and be your knife, I will do anything you ask.” The scary part was that he was being genuine. He needed to feel in control of his life again. It was like a drug he craved, if he didn’t feel free then he wasn’t living. The scarier part was that he was going to beg for it if the Ork demanded it._

_Orkimedes snorted and walked closer to Valmir, who could tell that Valmir was reeking of desperation. “Al’ight Dead-Eye. ‘Ere’s what I want yuz to do first to prove yuz bein’ zincere. Kill ya friend while I watch and den we will talk.”_

_Vick’s breathing suddenly stopped as he looked to Valmir with terror. It only increased when Valmir looked at Vick with what seemed like a sadness on his face. Valmir began to walk with an intense pace as he began to close the distance between him and the terrified man._

_“Valmir. Please. Don’t do this. You don’t have to do this. We can survive. We can figure out another way. Please don’t kill me. I’m begging you. Stop.” He couldn’t say anything else because Valmir grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall._

_“I’m sorry Vick. But I need this. This is who I am and to deny my true self is to die slowly. I need my revenge. I need to feel in control of my destiny again. Even if I am a lap dog for this mad creature, I have control again.” He sighed with a hint of guilt. “No hard feelings and I’m sorry; but your time is over.” He then threw him to the ground and slammed his foot into Vick’s kneecap, shattering it. Vick cried in pain as he desperately tried to crawl away. “At least try to put up a fight. It will make this so much easier to get through.”_

_Orkimedes smiled as he witnessed the pure animal within Dead-Eye emerge from his shell and brutally put an end to the cowering man. Orkimedes had never heard such beautiful music as Valmir strangled the life out of the sobbing Vick with his bare hands._

……

Bertholdt had been frightened to even attempt trying to break into this very mountain. It was bad enough that Orks were everywhere and this was the lair of the mad Ork Orkimedes, but now the man that captured him and had a grudge against him was here somehow having command of Orks; the situation just kept getting more nightmarish.

They walked in silence for about the whole way to wherever Valmir was leading them. Aside from the snickers and muffled laughs of the one-eyed man, Valmir was quiet whereas Bertholdt was sweating more and more. He had not been this terrified since the destruction of the wall when he was sure he was going to be devoured by a Pure Titan.

They arrived in a weird looking elevator and as they entered, Valmir pressed a button and the group immediately descended downwards.

“I can’t believe you. A fellow human. A citizen of the Terran Imperium. A slave driver and lapdog of the Orks. Has the world truly gone to hell?” Clearly Briggs was not happy to see Valmir working with Orkimedes. If Bertholdt was in Birgg’s place, he would probably feel the same way.

Valmir turned his head and shrugged. “What can I say, soldier-boy? I’m a mercenary and a damn good one. I was able to surprise and impress the Big Ork that runs this joint so now I am his right-hand man. It is nice to be in the care and protection of the Ork who runs the klan.”

“He doesn’t run anything. Ghazghkull is the Chief and Warboss of the Goffs Klan. Whatever Orkimedes says is a fat lie.” Bertholdt wasn’t going to stay put and listen to these insults about his friend. “You know something, Orkimedes tried to buy me. He was very interested in me too. He rushed and grabbed me by the neck. Ghazghkull then came down and challenged him for me. You want to know what your boss did? He cowered at the shear sight of him and dropped me. That’s right. The ‘Big Ork’ turned tail at the sight of danger. I bet he told you otherwise, didn’t he?”

The Black Orks seemed to enjoy the conversation because they laughed at the memory of Orkimedes being terrified of Ghazghkull. Bertholdt guessed that they didn’t like Orkimedes but were forced to work for him. He was getting that feeling about many of the Orks here.

Valmir turned and stepped towards Bertholdt. “Funny. I did not know that. Though between us, I pretty much guessed it was a lie. If I figured out anything about my new boss, it’s that he is cunning, brutal, and vastly intelligent. But a liar, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know what it means. But to be honest, I don’t really care. Bad liar or not, he pays well and respects me. So, you won’t see me complaining.”

Briggs then stepped in front of Bertholdt and glared at Valmir. “How could you? How could you stand by and laugh as your fellow man and woman are being starved and worked to death by these savages? They execute us whenever they want in the simplest ways or the cruelest. And yet you stand here, healthy and full of glee, as people are dying all around you? What sort of man are you?” Bertholdt had never heard such anger from Briggs. He was usually calm and collected.

Valmir stared right back at him with his one eye. Bertholdt noticed that he had an eyepatch covering the other eye. Surprisingly, Bertholdt didn’t feel bad about it at all. He was glad he threw the knife because in the end, it saved Marco and the other kids’ lives. He then swore he saw movement underneath the eyepatch, which completely startled him.

“Because where I come from, the world is just like this. The only way to survive is to look out for yourself. Be in control of your own destiny. So what if I’m a hired gun for a blubbering mad beast? I am fed normal meat and drink, I sleep whenever I want, I get paid, all the while everyone else is a slave to their own sense of freedom. I’ve talked to many of you _Gretchins_ around here. Some outright say that it is better to be doing what you think is right and be ‘the bigger man.’ But what the hell has that ever done? I’m waiting soldier-boy. Tell me. Being someone you’re not is what gets people killed in the first place. I hear all about you soldiers. Signing up to fight for a worthy cause only to die in the middle of nowhere with no one remembering who you are. I know that too well. Try being a Scout of the Survey Corps. All about freedom and humanity’s ‘future beyond the walls.’ I have never heard more bullshit in my life. All those expeditions ever did was send the new recruits straight into the Titans’ gullets for overpopulation purposes. Hell, even the higher-ups knew that.”

Valmir then turned to look at Bertholdt. There seemed to be no end to Valmir’s rambling. This was only making him angry as he was calling Briggs, perhaps the bravest man he knew, a tool. “Ask the boy about it. His sense of doing the right thing sent him here to this hell you call home. Back where I was, I was mercenary who abducted and sold people. I captured him but this boy saved the others and took out my eye for the ‘greater good.’ In exchange, he got sent here and is used as a slave. Because of his play at hero, my comrades and I got sent here and ALL OF THEM ARE DEAD!”

Briggs was shocked he instinctively took a step back in one of the Black Orks. It growled at him and Briggs retreated back to being a nose length away from the angry mercenary. Bertholdt was getting increasingly angry as he felt his skin actually begin to steam. He noticed Briggs began turning to see what was happening until Valmir slugged him in the face and making him crash to the elevator floor. The two Black Orks chuckled as Valmir grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against the wall; shaking the elevator.

“DON’T TURN AWAY NOW SOLDIER-BOY. I’M NOT DONE. I am looking out for myself and you know something? I may be a part of something great and historical now because I looked out for myself. I killed a comrade to get where I am, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Because I know who I am. I am no mindless soldier, no freedom-seeking imbecile, no man of righteous belief.I am Valmir Gausser and Valmir Gausser only fights for himself. So tell me soldier-boy. What good has being a soldier ever done for you? Surprise me. TELL ME!”

He didn’t know what the hell came over him but Bertholdt charged and tackled Valmir to the ground. Valmir was shocked and had no idea it was coming which Bertholdt used to his advantage and released his pent-up anger in a form of hard punches. Bertholdt was wailing on him with unrelenting force and all he wanted to do was turn this devil’s face into a bloody puddle. He didn’t care if he got exposed. He deserved every bruise, cut, and gash.

The elevator stopped and Bertholdt didn’t know how but he picked up Valmir and held him over his head and threw him out the opening doors. As Valmir landed on the ground, Bertholdt charged at him. He was in pure tunnel vision mode and nothing was stopping him. Valmir got to his feet and pulled out a Slugga Pistol and shot straight at Bertholdt’s shoulder. It stunned him and he stopped for a minute.

Then Bertholdt gritted his teeth as his wound started to steam and heal itself; completely shocking Valmir. The Orks and _Gretchins_ around the area were seeing this and began crowding around. The Orks began stomping their feet and chanting and shouting as they wanted to see more. One of the Orks threw in an axe and sword and Valmir quickly grabbed both weapons. Bertholdt didn’t care and raised his fists and stood in a stance he was taught in Warrior Training. Valmir charged and swung his sword to which Bertholdt countered by sidestepping and grabbing his arm. Bertholdt’s hands erupted in steam and Valmir screamed as he pulled away from his grasp.

“I don’t care what you are or what you can do. I’M TAKING YOUR EYE OUT!” Valmir charged with his axe and brought down in a horizontal slice at Bertholdt’s head. But what happened next silenced the loud cheering.

Bertholdt caught the axe-head in his hand. Bertholdt didn’t feel the pain probably because he was angry, but he didn’t care at the moment and he tightened his grip. His hands began to steam hotter than when he popped the Ork Slaver’s head. The axe-head began to melt and Valmir’s face sunk in fear. In his terror, Bertholdt kicked Valmir’s feet off the ground resulting in him crashing on his back. Bertholdt then pounced on his stomach and began wailing on him with steaming fists.

**YOU ARE A DEVIL. NOW DIE AS THE DEVIL YOU ARE.**

The voice roared through Bertholdt’s mouth and echoed throughout the mountain. Some of the Orks even whimpered in terror at the sound. Bertholdt then raised his steaming hands and was going to burn Valmir’s face off.

Until Briggs tackled him off of Valmir.

“Bertholdt. Bertholdt stop. I don’t know what has gotten into you but stop. Listen to me. Stop fighting. You are only making things worse.” Bertholdt wasn’t listening as he tried to push Briggs off. Valmir rose to sit up and turned to the surrounding Orks. “Get him. Orkimedes needs him alive but don’t let that stop you from bruising him.”

In the next few seconds, the Orks were on Briggs and Bertholdt and began slugging and kicking them in a flurry of movements. Bertholdt’s tunnel vision left as he felt pain in every muscle in his body as the green horde was beating the shit out of him. He turned to Briggs to see him being beaten and Bertholdt reached an arm out to him. “Briggs…” he said exhausted. He then looked up to see a Black Ork scatter the other Orks as the Black Ork raised the butt of his battleaxe and slammed it into his face, knocking him unconscious. The last thing he heard was an enraged scream in his head from the mysterious angry voice.

……

_“Mommy. Please. I don’t want to go. That man was scary. I don’t want to go with him.”_

_“It’s going to be okay Bertie. You’re going to a wonderful camp where you play games and if you are good enough, you get a very good prize that helps you and me.”_

_“What about father? Will…Will he get a prize too?”_

_“No Bertie. He will stay here until he finally falls asleep. He won’t come with us if you win.”_

_“But…”_

_“Don’t back talk me Bertholdt. You are going to this camp and you ARE going to be a winner. This will get me…us…out of this shit we call a home and live the life…we…actually deserve.”_

_“Ow. Why did you hit me mommy?”_

_“It’s a good lesson. They will teach you to get over that at your camp. Now I am going to pack your things.”_

_“…No.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“I said no.”_

_“HOW DARE YOU SAY NO!”_

_“……”_

_“You are going to that facility and succeeding. You are destined for greatness and damn it you are going to succeed. I have worked too hard for this. Do you know what I had to do for you to get this chance? If it wasn’t for Ez…?”_

_“Mommy?”_

_“Enough. You are going. I’m giving you no choice. Your father taught you to hunt and shoot like a master for this, so you are going. Got it?”_

_“……Yes mother.”_

_“Good. Now pack your things. I want it done in an hour. Any longer than that and no dinner. Now scat Beanpole.”_

_“Yes mother.”_

_……_

Bertholdt felt the coldness of the water as it came crashing down on his face. Surprised, he sat up in a jolt and started coughing. He started wiping his eyes and his forehead and turned to see Briggs with a now empty bucket.

“Why would you do that?”

Briggs just cocked his head. “Well because a 11-year-old kid I have known for a very little time started mumbling in his sleep and when he seemed to get angry, said 11-year-old kid started steaming like a fucking volcano. So throwing some water on him was the most logical way to cool him down.”

Bertholdt starting sweating and started scratching his neck in vulnerability. “Oh….uh…thanks.”

Briggs straightened his head and let out a small smile. “No problem kid.” He put down the bucket and leaned on the wall next to what seemed like jail bars. “By the way, we were rerouted to a ‘higher security’ area because of your little fiasco. They say we will be here until Orkimedes asks for us.”

Bertholdt groaned and just laid back on the cold floor he was on. He thought back to how foolish he was thinking that his hope was here. To think that Orkimedes had a way home only to discover that in his crazy laboratory that he had been experimenting with Titans. He didn’t know the full story, but he knew it was bad news. Now he was trapped when he was supposed to be out and have been back to Ghazghkull’s place by now. _How did things go so wrong?_

“Hey. I know this is probably the wrong time to ask but I don’t know if there will be another time to so here goes. Forgive the dirty language I am about to throw at you, but I would like to know WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT WAS THAT I JUST SAW HOURS AGO?” Briggs’s sudden outburst scared Bertholdt straight to his feet.

Bertholdt was completely speechless. Then his memory was starting to come back. He had gotten so angry at Valmir that he attacked him and damn near killed him. It was the same thing that happened in the theater. He had lost control of his calm (constantly scared and cautious to be frank) state of mind and attacked. Somehow, it activated his powers and it almost got Valmir killed. That was when Briggs stopped him and that was the last thing he remembered.

He tried to think what his powers could be connected to. Was it connected to the Colossal? It couldn’t be though otherwise Magath would have had him properly train to master it. Plus, none of the other Warriors had any of these issues before. Could it be connected to the angry voice in his head? He was thinking less and less that it was just one of his voices and that it actually belonged to someone else. _Or something else._

“How did that guy know you? He said he abducted you and you took his eye. What is going on Bertholdt? Be honest with me this time.” Bertholdt just sighed. He owed Briggs that. They were stuck here together and plus; he wasn’t from his world. (probably) He went to the far wall of the room and slid to his butt.

“I’m…not from here. Valmir and I are from another planet, I think. In that place, he was a mercenary who apparently snatched people and sold them as slaves. I helped my mates escape and I led the snatchers away to this cave. I ended up in this weird room. I was then surrounded by Valmir and his goons until I activated these strange pillars with my powers. Then, some portal opened and everyone in the room got dragged through. I ended up somewhere in the Badlands before I ended up here.”

Briggs seemed to be quite the listener as he was nodding and asking questions every chance he got. He was less made and more curious about his strange adventure.

“Okay. A mysterious portal. Can’t say I know what any of this means. However, it does sound like something I overheard from a slave I worked with. He said that some old man who was moved to Black Crag told a story similar to yours. Apparently, they think him mad but now I’m thinking he may know something about your predicament.” Bertholdt’s head propped up in hope. There was someone who may know what had happened and possibly know of a way home.

Then his head descended into his hands. That was all well and good, but he was trapped here. Orkimedes had plans for him and with a vengeful Valmir always on constant watch; escape seemed impossible now.

Briggs then asked for the origin of Bertholdt’s powers. To the best of Bertholdt’s abilities, he tried recalling his past at Warrior Training and tried summarizing it to the Fall of Wall Maria and the destruction of Shiganshina.

“So what a minute. You can turn into one of those things we saw. Except you are in control and you can transform into a monster near the size of this mountain. Yikes. That is some power to be given to someone at such a young age. Too young to be sent on a mission so terrible.” There was a moment of silence before Briggs spoke again. “It must still haunt you knowing all the damage you had done. All the lives taken for some stupid mission.”

Bertholdt nodded his head. He knew for a fact that the day he destroyed the gates to let the Titans in and devour innocent people, whether they were truly devils or not, and escape on a ferry because he was a child, he could still remember the screams. He was never going to find peace for the rest of his life. _Guess that’s the one upside of having this ‘term.’ My life will be too short to grieve and mourn my actions._

“So your friends Reiner and Annie. They are still on the other world right? Do you think they are looking for you right now? Are they going to stop the mission to search for you?” Bertholdt just sighed. “Knowing them, they would look for me, but my fellow Warriors will still continue the mission. That means they won’t look long. Besides, I’m pretty sure they could care less if I’m gone. All I am is the Colossal to them and when I’m not; I’m a coward and a part-time best friend.”

Briggs just scratched his head. “What does that mean? Do you really think they don’t care that much about you?”

Bertholdt just looked at his knees and didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled his feet closer like he was going to curl up in a small ball. Briggs could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, so he decided to change the clearly emotional subject. But he couldn’t find another subject. So, they just sat there for what seemed like an hour. Few Orks passed by and Valmir did his check-up before he left.

After a while, they sat against the wall and still continued their silence. Then Briggs decided to speak and ask a question. A question that Bertholdt definitely did not want to come up and most definitely did not want to answer.

“Bertholdt…were you even going to fulfill the promise you made me? Or did you come here to find a way home?”

There were many things that Bertholdt should have done to make the situation better. He should have lied and said that he meant to come here to find him and investigate more. Say that he was going to follow through and escape. Or make it sound like he forgot, or it was all part of huge plan for him to fulfill his promise to the weary soldier.

But he could not do that. Not to Briggs.

“I-I was…” Bertholdt started stuttering when he tried not to make eye contact with Briggs. He didn’t want to look him in the eye during his confession. “I wasn’t.” He didn’t hear anything from Briggs except and pained exhale. Bertholdt should have stopped there but he believed that Briggs deserved the truth. He was perhaps the best man Bertholdt ever knew and he didn’t deserve to be lied to; especially if he was going to die soon.

“I was planning to find a way out. After you mentioned the lightning, I believed that there was a portal or something like it here. However, it just turned out to be people being turned into Titans. But just know that I felt like shit since that false promise. I just…wanted to get home. Back to the Warriors.”

Briggs was silent again but this time, it didn’t take long for him to ask another question. “Why do you want to help them so much? It sounded like that they don’t really care about you; just your Titan self. Why would you try and risk everything just to be with them again?”

Bertholdt turned to face the soldier with a sincere look in his eyes. “It’s simple. They have people who are counting on them and to go home to. Reiner has his mother and Annie her father. I’m sure both want to see them again. But not my mother. She could care less if I come home or not. All she wants is to get what she deserves for sticking around in that cruel world. And my father; I don’t know if I will ever see him again. I already said my good-byes to him before I left on my mission. But just because no one is waiting for me doesn’t mean I’m damning my comrades to a terrible fate. If I go back and get them home after we complete our mission, at least I did something good with my term; getting my fellow Warriors home.”

Briggs didn’t react at first because he was surprised by Bertholdt’s immovable answer. To Bertholdt, what he said was the absolute truth. He was a nobody and even though he had the Colossal Titan, he was still a nobody and was probably going to be one forever. It’s the sad reason why he had no real will of his own. What good is willpower if he had nothing to inspire him? All his willpower ever got him was a sick father, a horrible mother, a terrifying beast using him as a skinsuit, a ‘best friend’ who cared more about the mission than him, and a blonde girl who saw him as nothing more than a coward.

“I know this may not sound believable and totally untruthful, but I think that your cause is a just one. You don’t want to leave your comrades behind, and you want to watch over them. You don’t have anything but that won’t stop you from helping the other Warriors; even if all they see you as is a weapon. Even when you commit the foulest of crimes, you still look out for those you care about and even maybe those you hurt. You may have been bred from cruelty Bertholdt Hoover, but you came out with perhaps the biggest heart. That’s what us soldiers fight for. Our comrades and getting them home and to hopefully a better and peaceful time. But most importantly, I’d like to think that heroes would do the same thing.”

There was that word again. _Hero_. Of course, Bertholdt would never consider himself one as he saw himself as the villain of the story. But for some reason, hearing Briggs call him that was uplifting, and it made Bertholdt’s guilt begin to disappear. Once again, Briggs proved himself to be the greatest man Bertholdt had ever met. Here he was, saying that he had lied to him and was willing to leave him behind and Briggs understood it. Bertholdt would never find another person like Briggs. There was no way.

Briggs, Guardsman of Armageddon, was a man that was truly unique in both worlds.

He looked at Briggs and gave him a small yet meaningful smile. “Thanks Briggs. For understanding.”

Briggs just laughed and leaned his head against the wall. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m still pissed about you lying but I understand. I hope you do get back and finish your mission.” He reached out his hand to Bertholdt who eagerly took it and they briefly shook hands. He then let out a mischievous laugh and smiled a smug grin. “I also hope you tell this Warrior girl that you like her.”

Bertholdt immediately felt himself turn red and felt his hands and forehead sweat. He pulled away and immediately stood to his feet waving his hands. “N-no no. It’s not like that. Well..uh..I thinks she’s pretty but…I…we-”

Briggs just started laughing as he saw Bertholdt continued to be flustered. “Your girlfriend reminds me of my…”

The door opened loudly as a squad of Black Orks filled the room being led by Valmir. He had a cruel smile on his face and Bertholdt swore his one eye bulged in anticipation. “Alright my friends. It is time for the big event. The event Orkimedes has been waiting for.”

Bertholdt looked at Briggs but Briggs showed no sign of fear but instead a face of confidence and bravery. Bertholdt wished he had those within him. “Where are you…taking us?” Bertholdt asked as he turned to face Valmir who just snickered in return.

“I’m taking you to an area where we will see some fantastic fireworks. Then and only then, will I finally get an eye for an eye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big 'Un Mountain:  
> A sacred site that the Orks treasured as a place of heritage. According to legend, when the God Titan forged the world, he created a mountain to reach the heavens so the Orks could descend from high above. Some rolled to their deaths while others endured the pain and made it to the bottom. They became the first Orks and spread out to form the great klans. Every time a Warlord is crowned, they climb to the top of the mountain to receive their blessing as the Greenskin Titan and return with it. It is then that a Warlord is crowned as Boss of all the Klans.
> 
> Ork Scrap:  
> A crucial resource for the Orks is literally scrap. Made up of dozens of things Orks take from raids, sackings, or enemies is thrown together to make scrap. It is then sent to the Mekboyz to forge into armor, weapons, ammuntion, or tools to create their Trukks, tanks, and Deff Dreads. In every klan center, Orks toss their 'obtained' scrap into a pile as their 'tax' while they use their Teef to but scrap products.


	8. Beasts of War

Ghazghkull followed Gorbad closely while keeping his distance from Orkimedes as he didn’t want his vile stench rubbing off on him.

While they were making their way to wherever Orkimedes was taking them, Gorbad and Ghazghkull were talking of times of old. How they grew up under Grimgor’s watch, how they slew and tamed powerful beasts, the enemies they killed, and the achievements they obtained as they grew larger and more powerful. It felt like old times. Despite the titles of Warlord and Warboss, nothing could discriminate the unbreakable bond they had. They were birthed at the same time and the first thing each saw was each other. Since then they had been inseparable and had always fought together.

Together, they had become Grimgor’s greatest students and later his Warbosses. With Ghazghkull’s help, Gorbad formed his own powerful klan while he helped Ghazghkull secure his ascendance as Chief of the Goff klan. With their combined tribes with Grimgor as their Warlord, the Orks purged their homeland of the Skaven menace that lived beneath their mountains and homes, slaughtered demonic creatures that infested the Badlands, smashed rebellious klans and stood by their mentor as “Da Last Big Fight” descended on Ullanor; their homeland.

Ghazghkull remembered that fight like it was yesterday. An unknown light in the sky sparked in the north; somewhere in the humie’s land. It was months later when the Orks received word that klans in the south had been wiped out by a tide of demons and black-armored warriors and were going straight for Big ‘Un Mountain. Ghazghkull and Gorbad had readied their klans to support Grimgor when no other klan wanted to support him out of fear of losing the fight.

On that rainy day, the Ironclaws and the Goffs charged into battle as the demons and madmen of the Dark Continent clashed with the battle-lusting Orks on the slopes of the sacred mountain. Not only that, but the large humanoid creatures that Orkimedes experimented with backed up the dark armies. Leading them was a hooded figure known only as the ‘Thousandth Son.’ The battle lasted for four days and the Orks were losing ground. Even with the power of the Greenskin Titan, defeat seemed certain. While Gorbad and Ghazghkull fought off the Thousandth Son’s Vanguard, Grimgor dueled the Son on the very top of the mountain. The Son had the power of what could only be considered sorcery and Grimgor was not doing well. When all seemed lost, Grimgor called to the One Who Creates and shouted to the sky; “I BELIEVE.”

That was when everything changed. Lightning struck Grimgor and transformed him into his Titan once again. He lit the skies with his power and yelled “WAAAGH.” With that roar of power, every Ork in Ullanor felt a rush of fearlessness and confidence. Soon, all the Ork klans rushed to the Warlord’s aid and started turning the tide against the endless wave of chaos. It was then that Grimgor plunged his axe, Gitsnik, into the Thousandth Son’s body and caused him to explode in a great light. With the loss of their leader, the dark army began to falter as they began to be slaughtered by the green tide of savagery. They captured the Titans that survived and made sure no taint of the Dark Continent remained on Ullanor. On that day, half the Ork population had been killed and many Klans had been wiped out. On the field of battle, the Orks erected a statue of Grimgor in the center of the site and the Goffs made it their new home.

But Grimgor was not the same after. He traversed the mountain and was not seen again for eight months leaving his Warbosses to rebuild their damaged home. When Grimgor returned, he amassed an army of powerful Black Orks and klans and led them to the Dark Continent leaving the Warbosses to decide on his replacement. He said farewell to his students and sailed to the Dark Continent and was not seen since.

Though Wurrzag urged Ghazghkull to take his place, the klans wanted Gorbad to be Warlord and not wanting to steal his place, Ghazghkull proclaimed him Warlord. Together, they rebuilt the destroyed Ork klan lands and mustered the Ork forces to a near half of what they were before. Still, Gorbad and Ghazghkull stood together as friends.

Then Gorbad got the urge to feel worthy of the title and proclaimed war on the humies, saying that they were responsible for the crisis that took Grimgor from them. He led a vicious campaign that annihilated humie settlements and garrisons on the borders of Ullanor until they arrived at the Fortress-City of Armageddon. There, Waaagh Gorbad was stopped multiple times by the menace Yarrick. Gorbad became completely obsessed with destroying Armageddon, seeing it as his final obstacle to obtain the Greenskin Titan and being just as worthy as Grimgor. That was when Orkimedes wormed his way in and became Gorbad’s Big Mek.

Gorbad has just finished his tale on how he tamed and mastered his Wyvern Krimson Killa and let out a loud laugh to which Ghazghkull returned. It was good to be themselves again but Ghazghkull needed to be serious with his brother and friend.

“Gorbad. I knowz betta’ den to quez’hion ya. But I must advize dat wez be careful with Orkimedes. ‘Iz motivez are unclear and ‘iz methods are dishonorable. First he asks for _Gretchins_ to be taken and enslaved and now, orderz ‘iz boyz to slaughter and nab dem all. We’z neva taken _Gretchins_ before. In our kultur, we’z always kill da enemy because it be honorable. Dis is not what we’z was taught.”

Gorbad slowed his pace as he walked exactly side by side with Ghazghkull. “I knowz Orkimedes can be……mad as a Savage Ork sometimez. But he ‘az some’ding dat can change da tide against da humies. We’z been promised a way to break da wallz of Armageddon and lay waste to da humie’s ‘Imperium.’ Wiff ‘iz ‘elp, we’z can finally get revenge on da humies for Da Last Big Fight. Avenge Grimgor and da Orks dat fell to da Chaos Boyz and da demons.”

Ghazghkull walked ahead of Gorbad and stopped him. He was getting a little angry, but he was trying to stay calm and reason with his Warlord. “Be reasonable brudda. We’z ‘ave no idea what forcez Orkimedes be messin’ with. He may be angering da One Who Creates ‘imself. While he be makin’ a mockery of our kultur, we’z could be in danger of receivin’ da wrath of da God Titan.” Ghazghkull was actually worried about this. Though he had never heard or witnessed the wrath of the One Who Creates, he didn’t want to think about what he would do if he was angry. Gork (or maybe Mork) only knows that Ghazghkull did terrible things when he was angry. Like the _Gretchin_ he squashed for attempting to kill him.

Gorbad huffed and brushed him off as he continued walking. “Yuz know me Ghaz. Grimgor ‘az taught me to dink about ma op’shionz. Wiff what we’z be doin’ now, we can’t beat Yarrick and da humies like we ‘az been doin. Da klans are losin’ hope and faith in me and I’z gonna show dem dat I was picked to be Warlord for a reason.” He looked back at Ghazghkull while he walked a little faster through the factory’s hallways. “Besidez; Orkimedes doesn’t care about da Waaagh. He be like da other Mekz. He just wantz to create a big weapon to make dings go boom and kill dings wiff ‘is gunz. He ain’t plannin’ any’ding.”

Ghazghkull rushed to catch back up with Gorbad and got closer to his ear. “Come on Gorbad. We’z both know dat Orkimedes iz not like any other Mek. He ‘az intelligence dat far outmatches our Mekz. He ‘az da same dinking as Azhag and Gorgutz. With a brain like dat, it could be used for purpozez dat may not align with yourz. Yuz ‘ave to see dat. _Gretchins_ , using a humie as an enforcer, brutal execu’shionz. He even ‘az paid Boss Snikrot and da Kommandoes to work for ‘im.” Gorbad looked to the ground as he put his hand under his chin as he was mulling over Ghazghkull’s concerns. “Plus, da way he lookz at da lightning every time it strikez. It be a face of power and what I consider evil.”

It was true. When Orkimedes was around Ghazghkull and when lightning struck Big ‘Un Mountain, he would smile like a demon and laugh maniacally like a mad dog.

Gorbad was still thinking and Ghazghkull had hope that he was getting through to him. He decided to press and hit the issue harder. “Pleaz brudda. After every’ding we ‘az been through with Grimgor and da past yearz, yuz ‘ave to know dat dis is wrong. Grimgor would neva’ approve of dis. It goes against our very kultur; what makes an Ork an Ork.”

Before Ghazghkull could reply, Orkimedes walked back and coughed loudly to get their attention. Gorbad shook his head like he was getting out of a trance and walked towards Orkimedes. Orkimedes just smiled at Ghazghkull, which earned him a low growl from the Warboss as he forced himself to go deeper into Orkimedes’s pit of dread and death.

……

Bertholdt jumped as a caged Titan slammed against the cage as it tried to eat him and thankfully, the Orks knew how to make sturdy cages. One could only guess how many times the Squigs and Trolls had broken out and went rampant on anything that was around them. He guessed that it would take a long string of setbacks to get something through an Ork’s head.

The Black Ork behind him nudged him with the tip of his battleaxe and Bertholdt got the ‘good idea’ to keep moving. He and Briggs continued to follow Valmir as he and his Black Orks escorted them to wherever they were. _God, this place is huge. My feet are starting to ache. Where the hell are we going?_ Bertholdt then looked to Valmir who seemed to walk with what could only be described as joy in his steps. _This cannot be good. What is he planning? Scratch that, what is Orkimedes planning?_

He then looked down at his hands. _Do it. Cut yourself and activate your Titan. It will bring this place of horror crashing down and we can escape to wherever this Imperium is._

Bertholdt looked up from his hands in disgust. Why would he even think that? _No. That would kill Briggs and everyone else enslaved here. I’d only be doing more harm than good. I don’t want to be the cause of any more pain._

_Oh really? Now you are starting to care about these people? A few hours ago, you were going to leave Mr. Perfect over there to die along with every single slave to get home. Now all of a sudden, you aren’t going to blast your way out?_

Bertholdt only huffed angrily and balled his fists. _Wasn’t it you that beat it into my head about how horrible I was for not keeping my promise to him and saving these people?_

_……Of course, I did. I was questioning your sense of honor. When you spoke of it to Briggs, he said he understood. He’s a soldier and he knew the risks and mindset of soldiers. He accepted it. That gives you the right to bring down this fucking mountain._

Bertholdt quickly slapped his face with his hand. The Black Ork scratched the back of his neck in utter confusion as he looked to the one next to him for help. However, the Black Ork was trying to keep down his quiet outbursts of laughter.

_Yes. Keep slapping yourself imbecile. You know that only hurts you correct?_

_Yes, I know. But we aren’t doing that. I am going to find a way out of here with Briggs and as many slaves as possible. I’m a Warrior. I have the power to actually help these people instead of causing harm to them._

_Exactly. A Warrior of Marley. The nation that owns you. You aren’t a Warrior of these people. You believe it yourself that you are no hero. Maybe that is not what you are supposed to be. Give it up. Turn into the Colossal and if it makes you feel better, destroy their settlement around that statue._

_No way. That’s where Ghazghkull and the Goffs live. I am not destroying their home. Based on what I heard about the Last Big Fight, they have already lost their homes once._

_When did you start caring about these creatures that imprisoned you? Why are we even talking about this? Draw blood and inflict pain. Destroy this place and escape. Yes, Briggs and countless others will die but that’s the cost. It’s your mission. Find the Coordinate. Bring it back to Marley. Survive. That’s what you have to do._

_Marley is not here so respectfully; they can eat my foot._ Bertholdt was taken aback for a moment, regretting that terrible choice for an insult. _These people are here and they need help so I’m going to try and help them._

The other voice in his head growled. _This is going to get us killed._

_Shut up. Speaking of which. Mysterious voice in my head; what the hell are you? These are not my thoughts. Who the hell are you?_

_Just consider me experienced._

Before Bertholdt could ask his damn mind what he meant, the party stopped in the middle of a small room and both Briggs and Bertholdt looked up to see a trukk in front of them. Valmir sneered and stepped away to speak with the Ork that seemed to be in charge. The Black Orks stood still and amused themselves staring at their battleaxes or conversating with each other.

Briggs placed a hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. The boy looked to him with a very scared look. “Everything alright son? You seem to be having a war of emotions over here.”

Bertholdt was starting to believe this man was a mind reader. Either that or his expressions were so painstakingly obvious. Like when Reiner said to him he obviously was crushing on Annie with his obvious staring and obvious pining. Was he that obvious when he was thinking?

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just scared to the bone about what…what…what’s going to happen to us?” Briggs seemed to understand and knelt down to obtain equal eye contact with the tall boy. He smiled and placed both of his tough hands on Bertholdt’s shoulders.

“Look Bertholdt. I get what you are going through. I am even scared right now. But you know what is making me calm. It is something my wife had said to me before I left on this mission. ‘Fear is a shackle that keeps men and women from their potential. Face and break the shackle and you can achieve it and so much more.’ That means that fear is natural but if you can face your fear, then you become stronger from it.”

Bertholdt took a minute to think about that phrase. He never thought as fear as a shackle. For him, fear had always been the line he used to separate a good idea from a bad idea. It gave him a clear sign of what was dangerous and what wasn’t. To him, fear was something that kept man in check. Then again, fear could be used against said people to keep them in someone else’s plan. He supposed facing fears would ultimately make someone stronger.

If only it was that easy for him to face and conquer his fears.

He then replayed the entire statement again and looked at Briggs with a lifted eyebrow. “Wait a minute. You have a wife? I thought Guardsmen couldn’t pursue prolonged acts of intimacy. How do you have a wife?”

This was perhaps the first time he had ever seen Briggs blush at all. “Well…uh…my wife and I have been for about five years. We have been living our married life in secret. Hell, we even have a kid who is eight years old. Meaning we have been together for nine years. God, has it really been that long?”

Bertholdt could not believe it. Briggs was rambling; just like Bertholdt would whenever Reiner or Marcel would talk to him about Annie. Man, Briggs was like a freaking mirror image of him right now. Except older, muscular, brave, and wiser. He only wished that being someone like Briggs would be in his future.

“So, you have a wife? What’s she like? Is she nice? Is she funny? Can she kick your ass anytime she likes?” For some odd reason, Bertholdt was asking very specific questions that could have easily been related to Annie. He did remember that Briggs was going to compare his wife to his girlfr…crush…wait; Warrior comrade Annie Leonhardt. Yes, that’s it.

Briggs gave him a wide smile and starting chuckling. “Well, my wife’s name is Severina. She is the most amazing person I have ever known. She is a soldier like me. Though she is a higher rank than I am, and she always likes to lord it over me. Heh heh. Like your female companion, she is very much a badass. She is a very experienced fighter and is not afraid to take anyone on. But the best part is, under that tough demeanor she has to wear, she is so beautiful and caring. Our son Marneus always tells her that she is his superhero and he wants to be just like her.”

Then Briggs looked to the ground in sadness. “When Yarrick decided to put me in command of some recruits to scout the mountain, Severina didn’t want me to go so she tried to change the Lord Commissar’s mind. Bet you know how well that turned out. He threatened to execute her for treason and started questioning her so I stepped in and said that I would carry out the mission no matter what. She was angry at me for not trying to object so she sent me out of our house for three days. She really didn’t want me to go. She actually wanted to take our son and run away to the city of Terra itself and see if we could start a new life. But I couldn’t do that to her and Marneus. Being labeled as traitors wouldn’t have been good for my family. Many get executed for less.”

Bertholdt sagged his shoulders as he listened to Briggs’s story of sadness. Briggs had never been this open before. He was always making sure everyone else was okay Bertholdt never really had the time to see if he actually was okay. Sometimes he looked at the necklace he kept hidden under his shirt and he would stare at the necklace longingly. He figured it was something that reminded him of his parents but hearing this helped him connect the dots more. It was from Severina and it reminded him of his family.

“Don’t…Don’t sell yourself short. You left to do good by your family and make sure they lived a good life. That’s admirable.” Only then did a tear shed from his face. “That’s the thing Bertholdt. I left because regardless of my marriage, this is who I am. For the longest time, I have been a soldier, a guardsman, for basically my entire life. I left because even though it was to protect my family it was also to just be a soldier. Sadly, it’s simple to be a soldier. Kill or be killed and survive. I let them down because I couldn’t change. Now………I may never see them again.”

Bertholdt tried to think of a way how he could relate to him but to be honest, he wasn’t sure if he really could. Bertholdt was forced into the Warrior Program just like he was the Imperium Military, but he had a family. A life. But he had seen so much battle and war that it was now a shackled part of him and there was no way it could be eliminated. Yet somehow, he still went out of his way to help others. Throughout all of this, he helped others so they didn’t have to go through what he had been through. No doubt he wanted to be selfish and return to his family, but he didn’t because the ones he looked after at the shanties never seemed to have anyone. He took it upon himself to be an idol and help them every day even when it taxed his strength, all so he could help one single person.

Bertholdt right there and then came to the conclusion that he could never be the man Briggs was. Nowhere close.

“Listen Briggs. I know I may not have the experience you have of this place or all the stuff you have been through, but I bet that no matter what, your wife and son are proud of you right now. Sure, you may have gone because the guardsman is a part of you but don’t forget that you did this to protect others too. To protect your home. I wish I could say I had the courage to do that. Every day you have helped someone and always managed to put a smile on their face; even though it may have lasted for a slight moment.”

This time, it was Bertholdt who placed his hand on Briggs’s shoulder. “You are going to see them again. You have been through so much. I have no doubt that you will find a way through this and return to kiss your wife and hug your son. You deserve the family you have and..and I’m going to make sure of that.”

Briggs looked up at Bertholdt with what could only be surprise. Bertholdt started to blush at the embarrassment of the scene. However, Briggs stood and held out his hand. Bertholdt grabbed it and that was when Briggs put his other hand on Bertholdt’s. “Thank you Bertholdt. Thank you for reminding me why I fight.”

“Alright, get on the trucks, my favorite merchandise. We have to go on a drive so get cozy. The ride will be bumpy. But don’t worry,” Valmir said out of nowhere and leaned down to evilly smirk at Bertholdt, “the fun will start soon. Then we will see what you really are, kid.”

……

The door slid open as Ghazghkull and Gorbad entered a strange hallway in Orkimedes’s laboratory. Ghazghkull observed the surroundings as best as he could while continuing to keep pace with the rest of the group. He did not want to be left alone in what he presumed to be a hellish nightmare. What he did see were large tubes and wirings crossing the ceiling and the walls like vines in jungles. They were everywhere and he had to be especially careful not to step on any that happened to be on the ground. It’s not that Ghazghkull feared the wires but it was just him being cautious and not be turned into an ash pile by one of the Mad Ork’s inventions.

After what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at a large chamber. The walls were outfitted with tons of heavy scrap and seemed to be welded tight. Tubes and wirings draped from the ceiling and in the center of the room lied a single chair. It was the size of a normal Ork Boy and that only increased Ghazghkull’s cautiousness. Sure, to others it seemed like a chair but what Ghazghkull never forgot was that he was in Orkimedes’s home and anything here could be a possibly death trap.

“I’z believe yuz be wonderin’ what dis room be for. Well, it be time that I show yuz all da work I ‘az been doin’ in your name Warlord. Dis room be ‘un of many zimilar roomz I ‘ave deployed all around da mountain and dey be crucial for da project. Yuz might want to step back bosses. Dis could get zappy.” Orkimedes then motioned one of the Mekboyz in the room to which he knocked on the door on the opposite room. No sooner did a naked Ork Boy emerge from the room and stand right next to the Mekboy. With an approving grunt from Orkimedes, the Mekboy escorted the Ork Boy to the center and started to tie him down with metal wiring and sometimes just shoving huge nails into his body. The Boy did not shout or bellow, but he did wince.

Orkimedes then turned to Ghazghkull and Gorbad. He cracked his knuckles and neck. He cleared his throat and then coughed very loudly. It was clearly a signal because no sooner a _Gretchin_ emerged from the same door the boy came from with large buckets of water and grog in each hand. “Ya bosses want any’ding to drink? If I’z be lucky, yuz might spit out ya drink in shock.” He chuckled as he grabbed a bucket of water with his Power Klaw and chugged it with ease. Ghazghkull desperately wanted to reach for the grog so it would numb his uptight behavior and relax him but the warrior in him denied the temptation. He instead grabbed the other bucket of water and downed it. Gorbad just shrugged and reached for the two buckets of grog and drank both at the same time. He laughed shortly, obviously bragging about his chugging and tossed the buckets aside. The _Gretchin_ scurried over to the tossed buckets and collected them with speed. He nervously looked at Orkimedes for a sign to which the ladder just waved his other hand, telling him to scram.

The _Gretchin_ did not look back.

After that, the Mekboy finished up and moved to a terminal close to the wall. He positioned himself behind it and began clicking some buttons and made a grunt to Orkimedes. He smiled and cleared his throat. Ghazghkull just softly growled. _Dis wazzock is actually braggin’ as if he be puttin’ on a show. Oh, how I want to smash his ‘ead right now._

“As yuz know, da power of da Waaagh is what da One Who Creates gifted da Orks when dey were being birthed. As yuz also know, da Waaagh is da unseen energy dat flowz through all Orks and actz as da catalyst when da Orks get togetha. It den starts da reaction when da energy from da Orks come together and combine to create da desired outcome or object dey want; depending on da number present. Dat be why we’z been able to make dings dat da humies believe cannot be possible to be used or seem ‘perverted.’ Like da Deff Dreads and da many Trukks and Koptas we make. For a long time, Orks believed dat we were da only ones ‘blessed’ by da One Who Creates because he favored us. But what if dere waz more to da story?”

Ghazghkull and Gorbad exchanged confused glances. They turned back to Orkimedes who smiled at their expressions. “First, I ‘ave to show yuz da Waaagh in full form. I ‘ave learned dat it be not unseen as da Orks of old dought. Take dis boy for example.” Ghazghkull looked to the center at the Boy who was tied down. “Da Waaagh lives in all of us. But I ‘ave found a way to extract dat power. Watch closely ma Warlord.” He motioned to the Mekboy and he went back over to the Ork. He then grabbed some plugs and wires from the chair and began forcefully putting them into the Ork. He bellowed in pain as the Makboy used a drill to insert a wire through the Orks skull. Ghazghkull had never felt so sick before.

After a few minutes passed, the Mekboy stepped away from the wired Ork. Orkimedes took the time to inspect the work and made slight adjustments to the Ork as if he needed to get everything right. He then stepped back and pointed to the Mekboy who was at the terminal again. The Ork nodded and then pulled a lever that was next to the terminal.

Suddenly, the tied Ork began to glow light green as he started to scream and spasm. From the way he moved, Ghazghkull concluded that the Ork was in great pain and moved to help the Ork. He was then stopped by Gorbad who shook his head. Ghazghkull could only think that Gorbad didn’t know what was happening but knew they shouldn’t interfere. Ghazghkull took his friend’s advice and begrudgingly stepped back.

That was when he saw the green lightning.

Within the wires jammed in the Ork, a bright green light was shining through almost every wire and it was being forced through like a river. Ghazghkull followed the wires until it led to a huge glass attached to the wall. Then it started filling with green lightning and began crackling within the glass. After a few minutes, the Ork stopped moving all together and the last of the lightning entered the glass.

While the Mekboy clicked on some buttons, Orkimedes went over and grabbed the lightning in the glass. He held it in his Power Klaw and came to show Gorbad. “Dis be da Waaagh at itz finezt. Lightning in a bottle.” Gorbad was clearly fascinated by this and was staring absentmindedly at the lightning whereas Ghazghkull watched as two other Orks appeared from the door and began unplugging and untying the motionless Ork. They then started dragging him to the door.

“So if dat be the Waaagh Orkimedes; den what does dat do to da Ork ya just experimented on? Without da Waaagh, an Ork can’t possibly function. Ya basically just ripped da soul out of a strong boy.” To that, Orkimedes just let out a light _tsk_. “Dey be fine Warboss. Da paralyzed boyz still ‘ave deir uses. Dey are den put into my Deff Dread program where dey be installed into da battlesuits to wield and live out da rest of deir lives. If not, I know da Squigs and _Gretchins_ need some’ding to eat, don’t dey?”

Ghazghkull looked to see if his Warlord was even remotely disgusted by this but he still seemed to be fascinated by the lightning he held in his hands. Ghazghkull wanted to slap him but he was pretty sure that wouldn’t help. Orkimedes then grabbed the bottle from Gorbad which seemed to snap him out of his trance. “Impressed Warlord?”

Gorbad immediately nodded. “Definitely Big Mek. With dis power, we can create loadz of weapons to deploy against Armageddon in bring deir walls crashing down. Yarrick wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Orkimedes simply put his Power Klaw on his Warlord’s shoulder and grinned wider. “Dink bigger Warlord Gorbad. Dere is zo much more to show ya. Now, if yuz will follow me.”

The group exited out of the door they entered from and began walking through the hallways again. While they were walking and Gorbad was asking Orkimedes many questions, Ghazghkull was trying to rid the sight of the struggling Ork having his soul reaped by the Ork that was Gorbad’s Big Mek.

……

Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet continued to stare out the balcony of Ghazghkull’s throne room. The sun was beginning to set and Wurrzag could feel the nice breeze on his skin. He then removed his mask so he could take the feeling in.

He remembered when he was just a simple Savage Ork living among his tribe in the Badlands. There he was living the simple life. He would wake up and grab his hunting spear. After he emerged from his hut, he would mount his trusted boar Spleenrippa and travel the lands in search for game to hunt. Such were the times when he hunted down Squigs, Boar, and if he felt confident enough, Trolls. He would then bring back the meat to his hut and eat it. He would then fight with his tribe members and then got off to fight other enemies to feel the power of the Waaagh and be worthy in the eyes of their god.

All that changed when he fell down a hill during a hunting trip and landed in a weird hole. He couldn’t climb out, so he continued to explore until he entered a room for what seemed like a catacomb. Old Ork skulls surrounded him and in the middle of the room lay a weirdly painted mask. What was crazy to young Wurrzag was that the mask seemed to be calling to him. He answered its urges and placed in on his face.

The next thing he knew, he felt a surge of power flow through him. Lightning flooded his body and the Waaagh ignited in his veins as he felt the true power of the One Who Creates. He saw visions of many eras, times, and beings as he believed he was actually seeing the beginning of planets and the emergence of life. He then turned to see the God Titan’s bright light beaming on him. Just then, he was issued a prophecy of what was to come; the Prophecy of the Time of Ending. He then felt images being pushed into his brain as he saw how time would play out and how he couldn’t stop it and how he it was now his job to push the Orks in the right direction under one strong Warlord.

After he returned to his hut, he gathered materials and Spleenrippa and journeyed across Ullanor to find the “Biggest of Dem All,” who would supposedly unite all the Orks under the God Titan and lead them in the ‘Fight to End All Fights.’ It was a lot of pressure for a Savage Ork. For ages, he watched the rise and fall of many potential Orks throughout history. He was with Azhag the Slaughterer when he tore a path of destruction through the rising Terran Imperium. He was with Gorfang when he built Black Crag. He was with Morglum when he faced the many swarms of buglike creatures that almost engulfed Ullanor. Then, he was with Grimgor when he fought Da Last Big Fight. He was so sure that Grimgor was the one he was looking for until he disappeared in the Dark Continent.

Now he was sure Ghazghkull may be the one he was after but his urging to take the title of Warlord did not go through and Ghazghkull backed Gorbad’s claim. It showed he was an honorable Ork but Wurrzag knew what was to come of this. However, due to the God Titan’s power of prophecy, it was impossible for him to reveal the future. If he tried, he would go into a long trance and basically be punished with being trapped in his mind until he accepted he couldn’t do anything but be a guide.

It was hard knowing the future and pushing the ones he was fond of to what seemed like impending doom. He knew their fates and even his own, but he could not divert from it. It would happen anyways whether he liked it or not. All the assurance he had that he was doing the right thing was that the One Who Creates had a plan and despite all the horrors and fatalities that would blight his world, they were somehow possibly going to play out.

He grumbled at his situation. He knew what was happening right now and he even pushed Ghazghkull and Bertholdt to certain danger knowing what would happen. It was a blessing working for your god, but he never thought that it would be a soul-crushing curse as well. Such was the price of being a doomsayer.

All of a sudden, his train of thought was interrupted when he felt an axe over his throat as he was kicked in the back of his knee, forcing him to the ground. He was then turned around and was soon face to face with his attacker.

“Ah. Hello. How are you?”

……

After a long nauseating walk through the twists and turns of the mountain, Orkimedes finally led them to their supposed destination. What it turned out to be was a huge observatory tower mixed with what seemed to be a control hub. Multiple collared _Gretchins_ tapped away at their stations with supervising Mekboyz watching their every move. They strolled through the center and Ghazghkull could hear the fear within the room increase as they were two powerful bosses that had just stepped into the room.

Turning his mind to focus on something else, he looked to where he and Gorbad were heading. He looked out the windows to see the inside of the mountain and all that was occurring. He stopped and turned to get a closer look and what he saw made his green heart sank. He saw so many _Gretchins_ being worked to death, Orks fighting each other over stupid scrap, piles of bodies, and rows of weapons, Trukks, and Deff Dread battlesuits lined against the wall. His anger soon rose when he witnessed a ring or Orks cheering for two _Gretchins_ as they seemed to be fighting for food.

“Oi. Get over ‘ere Warboss. Dis be da biggest part.”

Ghazghkull growled with displeasure as he stomped over to answer Orkimedes snide holler. As he reached what seemed to be the dark part of the observatory, Orkimedes pressed a button and the walls seemed to be moving. Then, the scrap walls rose to reveal windows underneath them. Suddenly, Gorbad and Ghazghkull were looking outside of Big ‘Un Mountain. They could see the many other mountains and steppes and farther behind; a glimpse of the Badlands. Ghazghkull yearned to be there. He didn’t feel right being inside a mountain. He felt like a rat.

Orkimedes then hinted for them to look down. Down below on the flat surface of the mountainside; where cages and pens of the large humanoid beasts stood. All of them were slightly larger than the average Troll and from what he could see from his position was that their forms came in complete random shapes. Some seemed as fat as Troll, skinny as a pole (like Bert’oldt), or a muscular and bulky as an Ork. Though they looked stupid, Ghazghkull would never forget how dangerous they truly were.

He then looked closer to see weird looking collars on the Titans covering the collarbone and the nape. Ghazghkull really had no idea what they were for and continued to believe that Orkimedes was succumbing to madness. But if he was, he sure wasn’t seeming like that. Orkimedes still had a dangerously cunning brain and intelligence.

“Take a good look at dose beasts. Dey be huge, zturdy, and as ‘ard as a Troll. ‘Unce dey were used against us in da Last Big Fight and now dey are bent to da will of da coming Waaagh. Waaagh Gorbad of course. Do ya see da collars on da nape of da Titanz? Dat is a special treat I created. Each collar is directly connected to da nape of da Titanz. I ‘ave learned dat for dese beastz, dat is where deir central energy source resides.” Ghazghkull was utterly confused. “It be like a control hub. Since dey ‘ave no brain or heart, deir impulse is run by electric energy. Deir instincts be telling dem to go after a humie because deir energy be da same. Dey know what is a humie and what is not; explaining why dey don’t go for Orks.”

Gorbad began to understand and started nodding as he turned from Orkimedes to look at the gargantuan beasts below. “So da collars be for yuz to control deir impulsez and instinctz? To make dem monstrous weapons for da Waaagh? Like Trolls?” Orkimedes responded by smiling cruelly. “Absolutely Warboss. Da collar taps into da energy in da nape. Da collars manipulate the flow of da energy, forcing it to carry out da action it was provided. From here, qualified _Gretchins_ control deir movements from ‘ere making them da perfect monster slave to use in battle. With da new scrap armor my factory be makin for dem, yuz be havin’ armored giants for da coming Waaagh against Armageddon.”

Ghazghkull’s large jaw almost dropped to the floor. If he wasn’t so against Orkimedes’s methods, he would have been damn impressed by the Big Mek. With all he has done, he had learned that humies had a similar connection with the One Who Creates just like the Orks. However, instead of psychic collective energy like da Waaagh, the humans could literally be transformed into huge beasts of war. He was starting to see why Bert’oldt said the klans of his world vied to control them.

With these seemingly indestructible beasts, Gorbad would have a surprising advantage over the defenders of Armageddon. However…

“Even if yuz deployed dese beastz correctly, dere ztill be the large wallz dat surround da Fortress-City. Dey be way bigga den ya biggest Titan ‘ere.” Ghazghkull hoped that stumped Orkimedes and that was an oversight he didn’t account for. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side because Orkimedes just laughed at his Warboss.

“HAH HAH. Come now Ghazghkull; did ya dink I would not ‘ave dought of dat? Dat’s where da final piece of da project comez to light. If yuz follow me.”

Orkimedes led them to a platform a few feet from where they were standing. Orkimedes motioned for them to step over to the platform. Soon, Orkimedes was joined by Ghazghkull and Gorbad as he pointed to a _Gretchin_ as the platfrom then lowered below the observatory. Ghazghkull then felt the sinking feeling that where he was going there was going to be possibly no return.

_I ‘ope you escaped Bert’oldt. I don’t dink you’d like what is actually happening here. Dankfully Orkimedes doesn’t know about your true nature._

Unbeknownst to Ghazghkull, Orkimedes received a message within his cybernetic eye.

_Arrived at the place boss. Setting everything up now._

Orkimedes smiled with a wide grin. His plan was coming together, and it could not be going any more smoothly. Soon Valmir would have his revenge, Orkimedes would obtain the final piece to his dream, Gorbad would have his Waaagh and the Orks would once again be the strongest race; as they should be. All that was promised to Orkimedes was within his cybernetic grasp and there was no way he was turning back now. _All for Waaagh Gorbad_. Orkimedes laughed quietly. This wasn’t for anyone else but him. When he inevitably stood on the ruins of Armageddon and had Yarrick’s head in his Power Klaw, all the world would be his. As it was foretold to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Da Last Big Fight Part 1:  
> During the reign of Warlord Grimgor Ironhide, the Orks were perhaps at their greatest strength under his rule. When a bright light appeared somewhere in the lands of the Terran Imperium, Wurrzag warned it was a dark omen and death would threaten to engulf Ullanor. Two months later, the army of the Thousandth Son landed in the southern Badlands and began their invasion. The Red Cloud, Top Knotz, Blue Vipers, and Skull Crag klans were easily eliminated and the Great Klans the Bad Moons and Deathskulls took a major blow. The mountains burned with purple fire and decorated with Ork heads on pikes as mutated creatures and demonic beasts soon began to infest the lost lands of Ullanor.
> 
> Da Last Big Fight Part 2:  
> The Thousandth Son's army eventually reached the territory of the Goffs and though they fought with all they had, Ghazghkull ordered the retreat to consolidate their strength at Big 'Un Mountain and be reinforced by their brother Great Klan; the Ironclaws. They then met with Grimgor Ironhide and his mighty band of Immortulz Black Orks. Word had reached the other Great Klans of the devastation of the south and when Grimgor called for aid, the Chiefs refused the call for aid besides the Goffs and Ironclaws. While they and their loyal lesser klans gathered at the bottom of Big 'Un Mountain, Grimgor and Wurrzag traveled to the top of the mountain and weren't seen for three days. By the time they returned, the Thousandth Son's army had arrived.


	9. He Who Wields the Lightning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all my readers, I apologize for the late update. I have been working non-stop 8 hour shifts and I have been too exhausted to write. Now things have calmed down and I have gotten back into the swing of things. I will once again be going back to my regular two-week update schedule every Tuesday. Thank you all for your patience and with that, enjoy the chapter.

Ghazghkull was starting to wish that he had brought his armor and maybe his Big Shoota. Maybe then would he have had been feeling a little more secure when the platform finally reached the floor that was their destination. Maybe he could ‘accidently’ shoot Orkimedes in the head and say sorry later.

Scratch that. He would purposely stand right behind the Big Mek and unleash his Dakka into the back of his skull and smash it when he was out of ammo.

As a door opened, Orkimedes led the Warlord and Warboss through the now dark corridors. Ghazghkull guessed that they were somewhere near the bottom of the mountain. He wasn’t sure if they were on ground level or below it but either way; Ghazghkull had a very suspicious feeling. 

He was starting to get worried about Bert’olt. Based on what everything that was happening in this mountain, it seemed to all be based on breeding and outfitting the big Titans as war monsters to use in the upcoming siege of Armageddon. Based on what he remembered from the Last Big Fight, he wasn’t liking the humans’ odds if the wall weren’t breached. Even for that obstacle, Orkimedes had a plan for that too though. If Orkimedes somehow managed to get his hands on Bert’olt, the One Who Creates would only know how much damage the mad Ork would do with his power. Ghazghkull had no real idea on what this ‘Kolozzal’ Titan could do but if Bert’olt said he could easily smash gates with it and be nearly as tall as Big ‘Un Mountain, then that power was definitely stronger than even the Greenskin Titan. He had yet to see it but as fearless as Ghazghkull was; he didn’t really want to see the monster Ber’tolt had locked in his body.

Even worse, if Orkimedes got a hold of that monster. 

Snapping back out of his thoughts, he noticed Gorbad still gazing at the lightning in the bottle within the Power Klaw of Orkimedes. He lowly growled at what he witnessed in that hell of a room. An Ork Boy who was strong and ready to participate in Waaagh Gorbad strapped down as an animal and drained of all the essence of the Waaagh. Afterwards, he was basically a vegetable and had to be dragged out to be installed and placed into a Deff Dread for the rest of his life. It was a terrible fate for an Ork. If only he knew of a way to stop this cycle and redeem the Orks.

He then sighed. He did know of a way, but that opportunity had long passed. 

_ “No Wurrzag. I ain’t betraying ma mountain-brudda. If da klans ‘ave picked ‘im as da next Warlord; who am I to go behind ‘is back and take it from ‘im? Dat would be dis’onorable and a cheatin’ way and ya know dat dat iz not me at all.” _

_ Wurrzag covered his masked face in frustration as Ghazghkull walked over to his throne and sat in it. The conversation had been going on for hours and it was only an hour away from Gorbad Ironclaw’s coronation as Warlord. Ghazghkull was on his way until the alleged ‘speaker of the One Who Creates’ showed up and was pushing him to take the title for himself; saying it was the God Titan’s will for him to take the crown. _

_ However, Ghazghkull continued to shoot the prophet down with no. There was no way Ghazghkull was going to betray Gorbad. Not ever. _

_ “You don’t understand Ghazghkull. You must be Warlord. You are the Warlord foretold by the One Who Creates that will lead the Orks in the greatest battle in the Time of Ending. You will be the one they follow as you fight the forces of chaos itself. I know it. You are the destined to be “Da Biggest of dem All.” _

_ Ghazghkull slammed his fist on his throne. Of course, Wurrzag was renowned as the most powerful Ork that was connected to the Waaagh and to piss him off would be a death sentence. However, Ghazghkull had no such fears and was tired of being a part of this talk of prophecy and deception.  _

_ “Listen to me Ghaz. You may not like it but the prophecy will come to pass. I have had this vision since I got this mask and that was before Azhag.” _

_ Ghazghkull scoffed as he angrily stood from his throne and began marching menacingly towards the small fat Weirdboy. “I’z not betraying Gorbad. We’z be brothers and e’kuals. We’z be whelps of Grimgor and he taught us ever’ding he could. Gorbad be just as good, even betta, den me. He is da very symbol of bein’ Orky. He has da Great Klans backing ‘im and to be blunt, I’z be backin’ ‘im too.” _

_ Electricity began to spark on Wurrzag’s head as he stomped his foot and Powerstick on the ground in anger and even more frustration. “GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR GREEN ASS AND LISTEN TO ME!” That got Ghazghkull’s attention and decided that it was best to stop rambling. At least for now. “The Prophecy of the Time of Ending is clear. When He Who Wields the Lightning falls from the sky, he will be met by the Biggest of Them All; the Ork of Metal and Honor. I believe that you are the Biggest of Them All. You are the one who will wield the greatest Waaagh when the sun is snuffed.” _

_ Ghazghkull raised an eyebrow at the near-naked Savage Ork. “I ‘ave to admit it’ dat zounds like da dream of every Ork. Dat could mean anyone. Dat zounds like a Mekboy actually.”  _

_ “I assure you that it is not.” He walked over to the towering Warboss. “Stop thinking about honor. You are Grimgor’s descendant and you hold his ways and teachings close to your heart,” he said as he placed his Powerstick on his heart. He then wacked the Black Ork on the head causing Ghazghkull to recoil and step back. “However, you must learn that you are not Ironhide. You are Ghazghkull. You two are not the same Ork; even if you want to be. There was…is only one Grimgor and he is on the Dark Continent. You are Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka; Chief of the mighty Goffs Klan. You are not shackled to the beliefs Grimgor taught you. I suggest you take them to heart but not chain them to it.” The slouched Ork then made his way to the balcony beckoning Ghazghkull to follow. _

_ “Yuz are so sure about me. But didn’t yuz say dat to the other Biggest ‘uns? Dey all believed dat dey were da ‘uns yuz be lookin’ for. Why’z I be different? What more of da profuchie iz dere to prove dat I am da Biggest?”  _

_ Wurrzag turned to face him after he gazed across the new home of the Goffs. “Ghazghkull, when the time comes when our home is threatened, and lightning strikes the mountain; you will know that the time has come. Then you will have to accept that you, not Gorbad, is the Warlord all Orkdom needs.” He then turned after another glance to the exit of Ghazghkull’s Hut. “Do what you feel is right Thraka. I will pray that when the time comes, I hope you choose to make the right choice.” _

_ He exited the hut, leaving Ghazghkull contemplating all that was told to him. He Who Wields the Lightning? Ork of Metal and Honor? What did it all zoggin mean? Why couldn’t he rip the mask off of Wurrzag and see for himself? _

_ He then heard the horns of summoning. The Chiefs of the Great Klans had arrived and were converging on the slopes of Big ‘Un Mountain. Ghazghkull sighed. He had no idea what to do. Would he continue to honor Grimgor and follow in his footsteps or abide by Wurrzag’s possibly false prophecy? Each seemed like he would be chained to destiny regardless and Ghazghkull did not like that thought. However, he had to make a decision; one that could change Ullanor’s outcome.  _

_ He then cracked his neck and went to grab his armor. After a moment of thought, he decided what he was going to do. _

If only Ghazghkull could have seen what his decision led to in the future. His choice to honor his kultur had resulted in the yearly slaughter of Orks in the battles of Armageddon, infighting among the klans, and the brutal slavery of the _Gretchins_. His decision had led to the prophesized downfall of his race. Now, Gorbad and Orkimedes were running the show and had plans to finally break through Armageddon and destroy the humans once and for all. With what weapons and power, he did not know. 

Now with Bert’olt in the game, that made Ghazghkull even more worried. It was clear he was He Who Wields the Lightning. He fell from the sky and based on his stories; he could transform into a huge Titan via a lightning strike. But the Ork of Metal and Honor; that was not him. He hated cybernetics and bionics on his body, and he refused to have even a hint of it on him. But if not him, then who?

He just hoped that it would not be Gorbad or even worse; Orkimedes. 

After many long drawn-out minutes of navigating through the dark hallways and corners, they then arrived in a large circular room that seemed to be covered in tons of scrap and metal. On each side stood a Deff Dread Battlemech strangely just standing still as if they were waiting for orders. This heightened Ghazghkull’s sense of caution as he saw in the center a small pedestal and two long chains. _What da zog be ‘appenin’ in ‘ere? Dis lookz like an execu’shion area._

Orkimedes then turned when he stopped near the slightly raised pedestal. “Welkome to where da center of ma project lies. ‘Ere under da mountain our beloved Grimgor fought the dark power in Da Last Big Fight. Now; it be ‘ere where ‘istory will be made once again when da great weapons of Waaagh Gorbad are unleashed from the depths of my Mek Lab.” Orkimedes then pressed a button on his cybernetic implants on his right eye and his top cybernetic eye flashed red. “And now, my Warlord and Warboss, it be time to show you da true weapons I plan to make.”

Suddenly, two Orks bursted in with an average sized _Gretchin_ being dragged by their muscular selves. Orkimedes motioned them to the pedestal and the Orks obeyed instantly. They dropped the human on the pedestal and they then went for the chains. While one Ork went to lift the human on his knees, the other raised both of his arms and chained them shut. The human seemed to be unconscious, but he showed signs of waking up. After he was successfully chained, he motioned the Orks away. He then turned to Gorbad and held up the green lightning.

“Az I ‘ave said before; dis be da very essence of da Waaagh. Da power of a zingle Ork. Wiff dis, we can use our gift to create and imagine anything az long as many believe it to be true. But for humies, it be different. Dey turn into dose big beasts dey call Titans. When da lightning ‘its dem; da power rearranges and hardens to make dem a monster.” Orkimedes then motioned them to step back to the near edge of the wall. Ghazghkull had the unshaking feeling that he was not going to like what he was going to see. In fact, he was considering leaving but he stayed knowing he had to figure out Orkimedes’ endgame.

The human had woken up and he started to panic as soon as he found himself in chains. He started screaming and flailing but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get free. Orkimedes chuckled when he went to a button placed on the wall and pressed it. Just then, noises were heard above the room. Ghazghkull and Gorbad then looked up to find the roof of the room disappearing into the rock. When it was gone, natural light flooded the room which temporarily blinded him. He had gotten here when the sun was setting, now it seemed the sun was up in full force. Had he really been down here in this atrocious hell that long?

Orkimedes then clicked the button on his implants again. A robotic arm emerged from the walls and made its way to Orkimedes. As it held out its soulless arm, Orkimedes placed the lightning in a bottle into the hand. It then zoomed over past the panicking _Gretchin_ to a small opening near the sentinel Deff Dread. It placed the lightning in what looked like a chute and it disappeared. After a few minutes of waiting, it returned in the form of a syringe. Within it; the lightning still crackled with pure Waaagh power. It then returned to the center of the room just above the struggling human and awaited instructions. 

“Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw, I’z give yuz da Titan Project.” He once again pressed his button and now sooner did the hand shove the syringe into the struggling human. The human screamed in pain as he was flailing as much as he could. The hand quickly backed away with the syringe and Ghazghkull noticed that the lightning was no longer in it. Before Ghazghkull could figure out what happened, the man screamed in agony as his eyes and mouth began glowing with light. Almost a second later, lightning roared from the sky as it hit exactly where the human was kneeling. The force was so powerful that it slammed Ghazghkull and Gorbad into the cold metallic walls. It was so bright that Ghazghkull couldn’t see anything.

But he swore he saw a massive bone structure rising from the epicenter of the lightning strike. 

After the lightning finally stopped, the two Orks collapsed to the ground on their stomachs. The force that kept them there no longer existed and Ghazghkull found himself on the cold ground. After regaining his senses and pushing aside his now clanging headache, he looked up to no longer see the humie but something else entirely.

It was a Titan. One of the beasts that caused great devastation in the Last Big Fight. So, it was true. What Bert’olt and Orkimedes had said was true. Humans had the power of the Waaagh and the result was a powerful monster with grotesque and horrifying features. The damn things he and Gorbad fought in that bloody battle were nothing more than turned human slaves.

“Dat ma bosses is da way dese beastz are made. When I extract da Waaagh from da Ork yuz witnessed, his essence was transformed into the green lightning you saw. Wiff it, weaponz could be made but when it be fine-tuned and carefully crafted, it can zync’ronize wiff da humie body and transform into da Titan. We’z aren’t completely sure how it workz. Sometimes it don’t work on some humies. I conclude dat it must be a general body construction of da humie form; but no matta’. Wiff dis sequence, I’z created da many beastz ya see now.” Ghazghkull looked to Gorbad only to see wonder and delight in his friend’s face. How could his friend, brother, and fellow whelp of Grimgor, be awestruck and impressed by this? This was against everything they were taught.

They were supposed to treat their enemies with the respect and honor they deserved, not treated like squigs to be tested on for horrifying experiments. 

Ghazghkull took a minute to look at the creature. It was a good 7 to 8 meters and it seemed to have a very long body but had short and tubby arms and legs for some reason. It would probably have trouble getting up so it would be a poor excuse for a war beast. But what really saddened the Warboss about this was the Titan’s face. Most Titans he had seen wore terrifying smiles and vile grins. This one had a large frown assisted by the depressed eyes. It looked sad and afraid. Maybe deep inside that mindless body, the human that used to be knew he was doomed, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Such was the way of the oppressed and enslaved. 

Just when he was about to ask the Big Mek if that was all, the Mad Ork turned and whistled with his non-mechanized arm. Right on cue, the two Deff Dreads who stood on the opposite sides of each other, quickly moved in and attacked the Titan. The Titan clearly had no idea what was happening as the equally tall Deff Dreads grabbed his arms and body and slammed it to the ground. 

“What is going on Orkimedes? I takez it dat dis be a terrible Titan for fightin’. Yuz just be gettin’ rid of it? Dat seemz like a waste of da Ork Boy we’z saw.” Ghazghkull began to beam, Maybe Gorbad was starting to see the picture and start to realize the atrocity that was Orkimedes’ project.

Orkimedes laughed and put his bionic klaw arm on Gorbad’s armored shoulder. “Not yet. Dis be da big finale. DEFF DREADZ! GET DA EXTRACTA CABLES!” The Deff Dreads obeyed, and one let go of the struggling Titan and reached down to the ground to open a panel in the floor. The Deff Dread reached his clawed arm down and pulled out a huge cable. At the end, Ghazghkull could describe it a weird looking hat. It had many circular objects that glowed bright green, but he didn’t believe they were from Orkish design. The Deff Dread placed it on the Titan’s head and went back to holding it down again.

Orkimedes laughed his evil cackle as he went to the far end of the metal chamber and pulled a switch on the wall. Just then, the Titan started glowing yellow and let out a roar which could be described as agonizing. It struggled and flailed but the Deff Dreads had to much of a grip on it. The Titan’s body began to steam as lightning emerged from its eyes and mouth as it headed towards the weird helmet on its head. For about what seemed like an hour, this went on and Ghazghkull started to get sick from watching this. 

Soon steamed filled the room and after it was ventilated through the uncovered roof. Ghazghkull only saw steaming Titan bones in the place of the Titan. One of the Deff Dreads pick up the wired helmet and placed it back under the floor. They then went back to their original places as Orkimedes returned to Ghazghkull and Gorbad. 

This time however, he was holding a large container of yellow lightning. It seemed much more ferocious and out of control as it powerfully sparked in Orkimedes’s hand. “Dis be da true power yuz be lookin’ for boss. In my hand iz da greatest power of deff and destruc’hion in da entire world.”

All the hope he had in Gorbad faded instantly when Gorbad reached out and touched the glass. He seemed lost in his trance again and began to smile widely. “What can it do Big Mek?” Orkimedes smiled wider at the question. “Well Warboss; why don’t I’z showz ya?” His mechanized right arm pressed his implant button again and soon; a group of _Gretchins_ were forced into the metal chamber. 

Smiling, Orkimedes raised his mechanized arm and showed a huge hole in his arm. He then grabbed a huge cable he had wrapped around him as a belt and jammed it into his klaw. He then used his other arm to take the cable and place it on the container. He then placed it on a convenient hook on his back like a backpack. Once he was done, he looked menacingly at Ghazghkull for a minute and then turned his attention to the group of _Gretchins_ and Ork bullies. He then pressed his implant button and suddenly, lightning surged through the cable connected it to the Power Klaw. Everyone was stunned in the room as they watched Orkimedes’s mechanical fist glow with electric power as he laughed maniacally. He then aimed his claw at the group of _Gretchins_ and Orks and without a second’s pause; let loose his power. A huge electric beam of yellow and green shot straight towards the group and consumed them in light. Screams filled the room as both humie and Ork was struck by Orkimedes’s attack. When Orkimedes finally lifted his arm up and turned off his klaw, Ghazghkull saw the results. 

What remained from the blast were the ashes of both Ork and _Gretchin_. All were wiped out in a single blast. But Orkimedes was not done. He then pointed his Klaw arm at one of the Deff Dreads and fired. The Deff Dread did not move as it was immediately hit by the powerful light. Explosions lit up all over the mech as it was being torn into by the lightning. After Orkimedes’s stopped, the charred and destroyed Deff Dread fell to the ground in pieces and shambles. There was no sign of the Ork Pilot. 

Ghazghkull was even more enraged. Not only were the humies being enslaved and used as fodder for Titan transformation, they were being used as fucking batteries for devastating energy to be wielded by the Mad Ork himself. He was about to lunge at Orkimedes and smash his head with his own klaw; however, Gorbad walked over and gave Orkimedes a light headbutt. Clearly Orkimedes wasn’t expecting it and stepped back and had his left arm rubbing his head. 

“Dis be zoggin’ fantastic Orkimedes. Yuz ‘ave created da most powerful weapon to eva’ be used by any Ork. Wiff dis power, we can not only lay waste to da humies of da Imperium; but da entire planet. Wiff yuz power and Ghaz’z dinkin, we’z will make da entire planet bleed and make it Orky. We’z will rule as conquerors and den I, Gorbad Ironclaw, will finally be seen as da Biggest of Dem All and wield da Greenskin Titan as foretold. With it, my bosses, we will make da whole world green.” 

Both Gorbad and Orkimedes laughed while Ghazghkull remained silent. His focus drifted over to the ashes of the _Gretchins_ and Orks. 

_ If only I had lizzened to yuz, Wurrzag. Den dese tragediez would ‘ave neva’ come to pass. _

……

Boss Snikrot, Boss of the Kommandoes of Ullanor and the sneakiest one of all Orkdom, leaned back against the comfortable rock. He was snoozing right now, and he was enjoying the nice quiet atmosphere. Unlike the regularz and other Ork castes, Kommandoes were taught to blend into the environment and most of all, adapt to it. 

For the longest time, Snikrot had been the Ork chiefs and bosses turned to solve their problems. He was responsible for many assassinations, espionage, and sabotage. By himself, he had killed humans, Orks, and other things that many Orks had forgotten. 

It was humorous. At one time, the Orks were all about honor and respect. They would always fight the good fight and at the end of the day, they would either slaughter their opponents with dignity or let the prisoners go so they could fight them another day. That was the kultur of the Orks.

Snikrot just scoffed in his sleep. The thought of following tradition was just plain humorous to him. If he had followed tradition, he would not be the extremely dangerous Ork he was today. Ever since the Orks interacted with the humies of the Terran Imperium, the Orks were introduced to assassins, mercenaries, and stealth ops as they hit a huge blow to the Orks. To counter them, the Orks turned to a shady tribe known as the Blood Axes. They were faced with surviving against the ever-growing swarm of bug-things in the jungles of the south. When original methods didn’t work, they turned to ambushing techniques and camoflauge to counter the swarms. Thanks to those methods, the Blood Axes were more disciplined than any other tribe and soon evolved into the fearsome Kommandos; savage infiltration and saboteur Orks that are only loyal to whoever pays them the most.

That Ork right now was Orkimedes and as of right now, his word was his command and Snikrot didn’t mind at all. He ordered him and his team to scatter all across the plateaus and cliffs of Mad Dog Pass to watch over the transportation of the stupid humie Valmir. That had been three hours ago and with no orders having come since; Snikrot decided to doze off after he ordered his grunts to keep watch over the site Valmir was headed to. 

He was curious about Orkimedes’s grand plan that he promised Snikrot the Stalker and his Red Skull Kommandos was the greatest plan ever and that they would be hugely rewarded for their services. Snikrot however didn’t really care about the schematics or plans. As long as he was paid and given the opportunity to kill, the details didn’t matter to him.

He was then awoken from his snoozing when he felt a vibration in his pants. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device Orkimedes gave him. He knew what it meant. Valmir was finishing up his part of the plan and Orkimedes was coming close to his. That was his cue for him to get up and start his part. Snikrot just groaned and mumbled as he got up from his rock. He then grabbed a small Slugga close to him and started loading rounds into it. He then aimed up at the air and fired the flare signals into the air. Not too long after, many other signals were seen in the sky. The Kommandos were preparing just as he had instructed them too.

As he turned, two of his Kommandos appeared from the rocks. They were expertly camouflaged and to any that wasn’t Snikrot or other Kommandos, they wouldn’t be seen. “Ready da boyz. Tell dem to get ready. Bash’ead; communicate wiff da otherz and make sure dey are doing every’ding right. Tuffjaw; make sure our device is sharp and purring like a satisfied Squig. Orkimedes wantz us prepared. Now get ya gitz.” The two Orks nodded and turned to fulfill their objectives. He then turned back to the site where Valmir supposedly was. Though he didn’t really care about what all was happening, he couldn’t help but be a little curious.

What exactly was going down in the Pass and what exactly did his nefarious employer have planned? One could only wonder……but certainly not Snikrot.

……

“At last ma bosses, we ‘ave arrived at da last part of ourz tour of ma project.” After the demonstration of the power of human-Titan energy, Orkimedes had them led through yet more twists and turns until they reached what appeared to be an empty room. It was not plated like the last room they were in and it was smaller, but it still made Ghazghkull feel unsafe. Everything in this place made him unsafe.

He thought back to when Orkimedes used energy he siphoned from the Titan that was once a humie to easily eradicate the _Gretchins_ and Orks. No power like that should ever exist except in the hands of the One Who Creates. Orkimedes was literally playing with the tools of gods and he was abusing them for his own desires. He knew for a fact he wasn’t actually helping Gorbad with his Waaagh; not for a zogging second. No, Orkimedes had his own agenda and whatever guess Ghazghkull had about what they were disappeared. Many times, he had the chance to eliminate both him and Gorbad to claim leadership over the klans. It would be easily to buy their loyalty with the scrap and new energy weapons he was making. But he had never made a move.

Gorbad stepped over to Orkimedes in stoic fashion. “Well done Orkimedes. I’z knew I could countz on ya to find da way to destroy Armageddon dat I couldn’t see. Wiff dis unlimited powa wez ‘ave at our dizpozal, Armageddon will fall in one day.” Orkimedes shrugged and scratched his head like he was worried about what to say. “Wez do indeed ‘ave all wez need for an azzault on da humies but dere iz one problem. Da supply for Titan energy is running low. Wiff all da testin’ on da _Gretchinz_ yuz allowed me to round up, I don’t ‘ave enouff to continue produc’shion. We’z will need more.”

Ghazghkull then stepped over to the side of Gorbad. “Zo what? Are ya sayin’ dat ya basically dried up da _Gretchinz_ yuz hoarded up til now? Why not uze da Titanz ya have as war beastz?” To that, Orkimedes shook his head and glared menacingly at the Warboss. “No. Dey be excellent specimens to uze in da Battle of Armageddon. If I’z waste dem, we will lose a tool in da battle for limited energy.”

“Some’ding tellz me dat yuz ‘ave an answer for dis problem. From whatz I rememba yuz tellin me when ya first proposed dis idea to me waz dat yuz were going to ‘ave a weapon dat waz bigga den any Deff Dread. Bigga den da Walls of Armageddon even. I take it more energy iz to be required for dis machine?” Ghazghkull looked at his friend in surprise. Though he was more hands on and liked to headbutt every problem he faced, it was easy to forget that Gorbad was also intelligent as well. 

Orkimedes also seemed to be surprised by this and after a few seconds of shock, he regained his composure. “Yes Warlord. And yes. I do ‘ave a solution dat introduced itzelf to me a few monthz ago.” Orkimedes then turned to Ghazghkull and smiled with a wide toothy smile. “Actually, I zhould say ‘imzelf.”

Ghazghkull tightened his fist as he finished his sentence. Was the Mad Ork talking about Bert’olt? If not, who else? Ghazghkull didn’t have time to answer as Orkimedes turned to the center of the platform. “I will say I also invented some’ding else in my spare time. Using da energy of da Waaagh I ‘ave…ah, ‘borrowed’…from da boyz, I ‘as created another device to help in da comin’ Waaagh. I callz it da Teleporta.” Ghazghkull and Gorbad looked at each other with intrigue as Orkimedes motioned them onto the platform. “From dis Platform, we can go anywhere dat has a platform like dis one. Hold on to your ‘eads.” 

Before they could react, he pressed his implant button and before they knew it; green lightning flashed from beneath their feet and engulfed the three Orks. I didn’t hurt Ghazghkull at all but suddenly, the whole room went bright white that Ghazghkull closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to find him, Gorbad, and Orkimedes in a different room on the same platform. 

Gorbad clearly did not enjoy the trip. He threw up the bile in his system as he kneeled down to vomit. After a while, he slowly got up and punched Orkimedes in the face sending him flying. He tumbled until he hit the wall. “Ouch,” he said as he soothed his head with his normal arm. “Orkimedes you shitgit. Warn me next time about dat. If ya would ‘ave told me, I would ‘ave just rode Krimson Killa ‘ere.” Ghazghkull couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. It was always nice to see little Orkimedes slammed around by him or Gorbad. It felt like justice in a way.

“Sorry Warlord. I didn’t know ya wouldn’t like dat. But anyway, we are ‘ere at da last stop. Dis is where da final piece of da project comes into place.” After Gorbad stopped throwing up and complaining about the lack of warning, they all gathered by the door that would lead out of the small shack. Ghazghkull still didn’t forget about the sly comment he made towards him. What did he mean? 

Orkimedes opened the door and they were led out into the sunny and dry atmosphere of what Ghazghkull recognized as Mad Dog Pass. Cliffs dominated the area and lone trees were scattered all across the land. Where they were now was a big clearing in the middle of the pass where the ancient Savage Ork tribes used to come together and participate in a ritualistic dance to praise the One Who Creates with sacrifices. Such a thing was something Ghazghkull wanted to treasure so Orks could remember the course of their evolution and history.

However, right now Ghazghkull was not looking at the cliffs. Not at the roaming boars who were grazing in the small patches of grass on the cliffs. Not the old totems left by the Orks of old to show their heritage and beliefs.

Instead, he was looking at his friend Bert’olt in chains in the middle of Mad Dog Pass.

……

Bertholdt was having trouble remembering all that happened. He remembered being on the truck with Briggs and Valmir as they drove away from the mountain and into the pass. Bertholdt was surprisingly calm through the majority of the drive but whenever he started to shake and panic, Briggs would remind him that he was here with him and that they would be fine. Though it was clearly a lie, Bertholdt chose to believe it because it helped him relax. 

It was when they finally arrived when everything turned for the worst. As soon as the truck stopped, Valmir grabbed Bertholdt and threw him out of the car. He had hit his head on a rock and had blacked out. When he woke up, the 11-year-old boy found his wrists in chains attached to the solid ground. He struggled but he couldn’t get loose. He looked around for Briggs, but the man was nowhere in sight. All he saw was the truck that brought him here, few Orks lounging around and Valmir with two fingers placed on the temple over his eyepatch. Bertholdt had no idea what he was doing but smiled when he was done. 

He then turned to Bertholdt and kneeled down to get a better view of the scared Warrior. “It seems right what is happening right now. Me capturing you again and bringing you to the middle of nowhere. Granted you were in a cage instead of chains, but it doesn’t matter. Leonardo is not here to comfort you and this time, there is no one else here to help you escape. Soldier boy is nowhere close to you and the Black Orks are having their way with him right now. I hope they don’t smash his skull during their playtime.”

Bertholdt rose in anger and tried to take a swing at Valmir but found himself tugged back to his place. “How could you do that to him? He has a wife and a child. He doesn’t deserve any of this.” Bertholdt fell on his ass when Valmir struck him with his hand. Bertholdt’s vision was a little blurred but he regained it quickly.

“So what if he’s got a wife and child? Do you think that shields him from the world? Just because he is a better man and believes in something ‘far greater,’ does not mean he gets a free pass on life. Like I said before, we mean nothing to the world or life itself and they do whatever they want with those who inhabit them. He signed on to be a soldier. He decided to come here. He decided to protect you. So, look where he is now? Being beaten senseless because that was where life took him. So to answer your question, he may not deserve it but then again, do any of us deserve what the world throws at us?” 

That quieted Bertholdt down as he just looked down to the floor. He didn’t want to believe it but what Valmir said was making sense. He was born into this world believing that everyone had a chance at life and the world would treat you with respect if you respected it. He couldn’t have been more ignorant. He had a mother who only cared about him being a Warrior, a sick father, comrades who have no doubt already moved on without him and were probably already home. A friend who had to leave his family behind only to get enslaved and beaten. 

Then there was him; a child whose very life was chained to an unwanted destiny he didn’t want. Like he was now, he was unable to do anything about it except take it with a sad smile. He was a scared child who murdered near millions because the world was cruel, and he didn’t do anything to stop it. Maybe this was his punishment for all that he had done. For not being able to muster any courage against his mother, Marley, or the Warrior Program. To Reiner when he suggested to break down the Wall instead of finding another way. To Reiner when he threatened to tell Marley their fear if they turned back and had Annie in a chokehold. If anything, he would take it willingly knowing that soon it would be all over and he would never feel these feelings again. 

“So lanky, the boss is not here yet, but he has given me the privilege of having my way with you for a short time. I am not allowed to kill you in any way but torture and bruising is on the table. Heh; who knows how long he will take but for now I am going to enjoy every damn minute of this.”

For about two hours, Valmir unleashed all his vengeance and anger into the scared child. Breaking bones, cutting, bruising and any other thing Valmir thought of, he performed on the chained Bertholdt. All the while, Bertholdt was continuing the war in his mind. 

_ We have to do something. He is going to beat you past your final breath. He is administering the pain. All you have to do is activate the Colossal and all of this will be over. Valmir and every evil thing here will die. _

_ No, you can’t. Briggs is still here, and you promised to help him get back to his family. You were sincere this time. Do you really want to be the cause of death to the man you swore to get home? _

_ Screw Briggs. He knew what he was signing up for. He has his mission and we have our own. Get back to our world and finish the Warrior’s mission. Once we transform and bomb this place, we can find this Black Crag and look for the man Briggs talked about.  _

_ We can do that and still save Briggs and these people. If we can find a way to escape, we can get Briggs and then help the others by destroying that mountain and with it; Orkimedes’s work.  _

_ Both of you must be cowards because I am the only one thinking logically here. _

_ I’m sorry that we think of others rather than ourselves. How did that end up last time huh? That action got us sent here in the first place. _

_ Do it. Do it now. Transform and end this. _

_ No. Stay strong and find a way out. _

The angel and devil that seemingly were in Bertholdt’s head were driving him crazy. It felt like his soul was being torn a part by the two sides and neither was backing down. It was hurting his head more than what Valmir was doing to it. Luckily, whenever Valmir got tired his healing factor would kick in for a little before Valmir continued his thrashing. There seemed to be no end to the inner and outer pains being inflicted on him. 

Just then, the door of the metal building opened up which stopped Valmir in his tracks. Bertholdt’s vision was blurry again and he swore he felt blood in his eye but once everything cleared, he saw Orkimedes and Ghazghkull in front of the building along with a decorated Ork behind them. Ghazghkull seemed calm but Bertholdt saw the tightening over the Warboss’s fists and the clenching of his powerful jaw. “Ghaz…ghkull.” He said with all the voice he had left.

The decorated Ork raised his brow in confusion and turned to Ghazghkull. “What is da meaning of dis? Ghaz, do yuz know dis pathetic grot?” Ghazghkull then turned to the Ork and nodded. “Of course, Gorbad. He be ma _Gretchin_.”

“Used to be ya _Gretchin_ Warboss. Remember, yuz gave ‘im to me willingly when da great Warlord declared all _Gretchinz_ be ‘anded to me? Zo he no longa be yourz, he be mine.” Ghazghkull then quickly smashed his fist against Orkimedes’s face and sent him to the hard ground with a slam. He then grabbed the Big Mek by his throat and slammed him into the metal wall. “I ought a smash yuz big brain into dis cliff and finally rid meself of ya clear arrogant bein’.”

Orkimedes seemed to be turning blue as Ghazghkull only tightened his grip. Bertholdt couldn’t help but smile softly. _He really does consider me a friend._

“Ghazghkull, drop ‘im now. I don’t know what da ‘ell is wiff ya but I needz ‘im. Or do I reckon dat yuz ‘ave a perzonal connection wiff da _Gretchin_ and yuz zent ‘im ‘ere to spy? I really ‘ope dat not be da case brudda. I wouldn’t want to dink you been plottin’ against me,” Gorbad said in an authoritative tone. Ghazghkull looked at Gorbad with an unclear face. Growling, he let go of Orkimedes and the small Ork gasped loudly for air. “No Warlord. I am not against ya. Ya know I am loyal to yuz and yuz alone brudda.”

Gorbad smiled and placed his hand on Ghazghkull’s shoulder. “Good. Now let’z wait to ‘ear what in Grimgor’z Axe we be doin’ out ‘ere?” Bertholdt guessed that that was the last thing that Ghazghkull wanted to do but went along with it to save face. Bertholdt could understand. He was here to figure out Orkimedes’s plans but with what Bertholdt saw, he knew that Ghazghkull still cared for him and wasn’t going to leave him. Maybe in this hell, he had a friend looking after him after all. 

After Orkimedes regained his breath and voice, he walked over to Bertholdt and looked at him for a minute. He then turned back to the Warboss and Warlord with a smile. “Dis be a very special humie. When he was about to be sold by da Wranglaz, he activated some’ding wff’in ‘im to make one of da Wrangla’z ‘ead pop. During dat time, my cybernetic eye picked up da same energy as da Titan energy I used not too long ago. But dere’s more. Just today, my humie enforca ‘ere described him burnin’ is skin wiff just ‘is ‘and all while ‘ealing a bullethole in ‘is chest. Da Titan energy wiff’in ‘im seems infinite and it seems to be in large quantity. I believez dat I can ‘arvest ‘im and when it be done, da gob of energy will be used to powa da war machine I will unveil in da battle of Armageddon.” He then grabbed Bertholdt’s head and yanked it up. “Unfortunately, I do not know how to activate ‘is form if he ‘az one. I had ma humie beat ‘im but he doesn’t seem to be responding. Dead-Eye, please show dem what I meanz.”

Valmir smiled and went over to the beaten child. Bertholdt could see pure hate and evil in his one eye as he pulled his knife from his pocket. “As I promised boy, an eye..” Without warning, Valmir jammed the knife into Bertholdt’s right eye with brute force. Bertholdt screamed in pain as he felt the knife remain in his eye as Valmir let go. “…for an eye.”

Bertholdt continued to scream and struggle in his chains but nothing seemed to work. The voices in his head continued to plague him with increased volume but despite the pain and the very clear desire to transform; Bertholdt steeled himself and didn’t transform. Briggs and Ghazghkull were here and no matter what, he wasn’t budging. No matter how broken or defeated he was, he refused to turn into the monster that hid within him. 

Ghazghkull was also trying to steel himself; trying not go in a berserk frenzy and smash the humie and Orkimedes to a bloody puddle. But as Wurrzag said, any move against them would result in the loss of his title and any hope of rebuilding an honorable Ullanor would die with it. It was clear Bertholdt was having a battle of his own but Ghazghkull could see that he wasn’t moving. Ghazghkull couldn’t help but smile and that gave him confidence. 

“Zee what I mean? No matta what sort of physical pain I’z inflict on da boy, he doesn’t transform. So whateva I do to try to beat it out of ‘im, it won’t work. Clearly, he ‘az a ‘andle on ‘is form unlike da otherz.” Bertholdt didn’t smile but he felt good knowing that he was stumping the Mad Ork. He was making him look foolish and no matter what was thrown at him, he was going to continue to not give in. 

“Howeva, I ‘ave one final plan to possibly activate it. Ya see, I believe dat maybe it doesn’t ‘ave to do wiff pain. Maybe it be da catalyst for transformin’ but da true conduit is in da mind. He may be not allowing ‘imself to transform. Which is why I be playin’ ma final trick.” He whistled with his left arm and signaled to the Black Ork outside of the building. He entered the building and a few minutes later, came out with a limp and bruised Briggs. 

“Briggs. Are…Are you okay? A-A-Answer me?” Bertholdt cried as he saw little movement from the bloodied soldier. He weakly turned to face him and smiled. He was missing some his teeth and his bottom lip was swollen. “I’m good. Whatever they want you to do……don’t do it.” 

Bertholdt weakly struggled in his chains but he couldn’t do anything but stare as the best man he knew was picked up like a rag doll by Valmir. He then planted him on his knees while he held the wounded soldier by his shoulder. Valmir then pulled out a syringe containing green lightning. Bertholdt was confused at first and then bulged when he realized what they were doing. He struggled some more but to no avail. 

“Warlord. Warboss. I remind yuz dat in dat glass is da power to turn any livin’ humie into a Titan. I will be doin’ da same ding to dis humie unless da boy transforms right ‘ere and right now. Or else Dead-Eye ‘az da honor of ending ‘is feud wiff ‘im. Da choice is da boyz. Letz ‘ope he makes da right one.” 

Valmir smiled as he slowly aimed the syringe at Briggs’s neck. Bertholdt started to tear up from the situation he was in. If he transformed into the Colossal, he would potentially kill everyone in the area in a painful death but doing so would kill Orkimedes and Gorbad; potentially ending the threat to Armageddon and its people. However, this would kill Briggs, the man he made a promise to, and Ghazghkull, the Ork who protected him and treated him as a friend and equal. They would die in the explosion. But if he stayed in his current form, Briggs would be transformed into a horrific Titan and Bertholdt would once again be breaking his promise to him. Bertholdt didn’t know what to do. 

** DO IT. TRANSFORM AND BRING DEATH TO THOSE WHO HAVE TORTURED AND ENSLAVED YOU. DO WHAT YOU WERE CHOSEN TO DO. UNLEASH THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION YOU KNOW YOU ARE.  **

The voice screamed inside Bertholdt’s head but his indecisiveness continued to glue him in place. Just then, he looked at Ghazghkull who was starting to make his way towards him only to be held back by Gorbad who shook his head. He then looked at Briggs who somehow managed to smile through all of this. Every noise seemed to deafen as Bertholdt listened to Briggs as he gave him a look of faith and trust. 

“Protect my family Bertholdt. Don’t be the monster they made you or what they want you to be. Be the hero I believe you can be.”

Tears began to flow from his eyes as Valmir shoved the syringe into Briggs’s neck. “Save my family.” Instantly, lightning crashed on the ground as Bertholdt yelled for Briggs. Valmir was sent flying against the metal wall while Gorbad and Ghazghkull stood their ground. Orkimedes stood perfectly still and smiled with glee. He laughed as a huge bone structure formed and began to grow skin. The Black Ork grabbed Valmir and took him inside while the lightning disappeared. In its place, rose a large 15-meter bald-headed Titan with wide eyes and a grin full of sharp Titan teeth. 

Briggs looked directly at Bertholdt as Orkimedes moved out of its way. “Well, I guess I was wrong. At least I ‘az a nice Titan to fill da ranks. Treasure dese last minutes boy knowin’ dat yuz made me look like a fool.” He walked away as Titan Briggs slowly made its way towards the crying Warrior. 

_ I failed him. He looked me in the eye, and I could do nothing but stare at his demise. I’m no hero. I will never be.  _ He then looked at Ghazghkull who looked at Bertholdt with a worried glance. Bertholdt could only look down in shame. _I’m sorry Ghazghkull. I am not strong, and I will never be like you. I can’t control the monster inside._

He then looked past Titan Briggs and looked at Big ‘Un Mountain. He clenched his teeth as anger and hate consumed him. Once he wanted to climb the mountain to look across the beautiful landscape underneath. Now, he wanted nothing more than to bring the monument of nightmares and death down to ruin and rubble.

He was done trying to stop it from happening. It was clear that 11-year-old Bertholdt wasn’t anything but a suit for the Colossal Titan. If the world wanted a monster, then Bertholdt would gladly give it them. 

In rage, Bertholdt crashed his teeth on his tongue hard taking the tip clean off; sending electricity all around him as he looked to the sky to see a huge storm of lightning hit the ground around him. This sent Titan Briggs stumbling backwards as the Orks ran into the building. Bertholdt should have felt pain but he ignored the feeling and closed his eyes. 

The Goffs stopped their activities in their settlements and towns as they turned to see a giant explosion erupt in the lands of Mad Dog Pass near Big ‘Un Mountain. They had not seen such power before and while some were excited, the majority feared the wrath of the One Who Creates.

As the smoke cleared, a skinless giant rose from the cliffs with red glowing eyes of rage. All the Orks stood still as the God of Destruction looked to the mountain and roared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Last Big Fight Part 3:  
> During a massive rain storm, the combined army of Ironclaws and Goffs stood shoulder to shoulder under the command of their Warlord Grimgor Ironhide as they readied themselves for the greatest fight of their life. The Thousandth Son commanded his forces to charge. Within the ranks, horrific demons backed by heavily black armored warriors and weaponized Titans with several black-clad vehicles and tanks in the rear. Both armies clashed in the middle of the field with each side showing no sense of retreat. Gorbad rained down fire and big-shoota bullets on the enemy on the back of his Wyvern while Wurrzag and Ghazghkull fought on the front lines. As the first two days went by, hoped seem lost to the Orks.
> 
> The Last Big Fight Part 4:  
> As the fourth day came, the Orks were pressed against the mountain as the demonic forces surrounded them. As Gorbad and Ghazghkull continued to command their forces, Grimgor battled the Thousandth Son on the clouded top of Big 'Un Mountain. With mysterious sorceries on his side, Grimgor was at a disadvantage. When defeat seemed certain, he looked to skies and shouted, "I BELIEVE!" and transformed into the Greenskin Titan once again. This time, Grimgor was more powerful and easily slew the Son with ease. With the Waaagh at full power, all the Ork klans rushed to their aid and turned the tide against the invaders. Panicked and leaderless, the forces of chaos turned back only to be slaughtered by the vengeful Orks. As the fifth day rose, the Orks stood victorious over the blood-soaked grounds and proclaimed Grimgor the greatest Ork in history.


	10. Through the Eyes of a Giant

_ Bertholdt fell to the ground as he was struggling to breathe. The last kick had hit him square in the ribs and he had fallen forward in pain. He then felt the kick to his head and found himself now lying on his back.  _

_ “Oh man. I can’t believe this wimp is the Colossal Titan. This piece of shit can’t do anything except cry. How the hell is he a Warrior?”  _

_ It had only been a few days after he had been picked to wield the Colossal and had eaten his predecessor. After the ceremony, the Marleyan higher-ups allowed the chosen Warriors to take a couple days off. It was good for relaxing but Bertholdt found that he was not well-liked by the others who were not picked.  _

_ This was the third day the group of failed children found him and had their way with him. Of course, Bertholdt wanted to fight back but he was too afraid to. He had no idea how to use the power of the Nine let alone the power of the Colossal. So instead of fighting, he lay there and take the blows from the jealous students.  _

_ After what seemed like forever, the bullies got tired and started to slow their pace of beating and harassing. The leader of them (whose name Bertholdt didn’t remember) leaned down and positioned his face right next to Bertholdt’s bruised face. He smiled and smacked Bertholdt’s cheek. _

_ “Listen Bertie. I don’t know how exactly you managed to get the Colossal. Sure, you are without a doubt the best shooter of the program, but marksmanship can only get you so far. The only other thing you were possibly good at was running. But of course, that’s not a surprise. You always run away from danger don’t you?” The other boys and girls just chuckled and snorted at the comment.  _

_ Bertholdt tried to rise but the leader got up and slammed his foot onto Bertholdt’s stomach. He let out a pained cough as he weakly tried to push the foot off of him, but it didn’t budge. “You aren’t strong, you aren’t smart, you aren’t violent, and you are in no way any form of fighter. Hell, even that Reiner kid puts up a better fight than you and all he ever seems to do is charge like a bull with flailing fists.” His audience laughed some more, and the leader smiled and looked at his crowd to bask in his popularity. “I mean come on. How the heck did this skeleton of a kid get the God of Destruction? This pansy wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Heck, he’d probably let the fly bully him around. That’s just his nature. A tall gutless pansy. He might as well be a fucking flower girl.” _

_ Bertholdt felt a twinge of anger but did not act on it. All that was going to do was get him into more trouble and he was already beaten up enough. He was still recovering from the last two days of the now normal roughing up they gave him. So Bertholdt held his tongue and said nothing and just hoped that these jackals had had enough fun and would leave him alone.  _

_ “But of course, not all girls are bad though…” Bertholdt suddenly felt that same twinge of anger again. He didn’t know why but he had a feeling he was not going to like what shit was about to come out of the leader’s mouth. “I mean look at that blonde babe who got the Female Titan right? She’s a badass fighter who takes shit from no one. I wouldn’t mind her flipping me over on my back. But I think underneath all of that glare and bite, I think she’s a submissive bitch deep down. I bet I could make a nice girl out of her. Just give me a few minutes and the all-powerful Female Titan would be on her knees begging for more.” Bertholdt’s anger only started to grow as he was beginning to feel the pain lessen as his anger mounted. _

_ “If only the bitch would lose the nose though…” _

_ Bertholdt couldn’t take it anymore. Annie didn’t deserve to be badmouthed like this. Not ever. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the leader’s leg and slammed his body down with all of his might. The leader landed hard on his stomach and coughed violently. Bertholdt used the groups surprise to his advantage as he started running away. He started running through the training grounds. It was raining outside, and the grounds were full of giant puddles.  _

_ He then felt someone tackle him from behind as he fell face first into a huge puddle of rainwater. He was then turned around to see the leader again before the blows started again. He was punched, kicked, and spit on as he lay on his back coughing in the puddle. The bullies then let up as the leader then grabbed Bertholdt’s bleeding head by his hair. “Like I said, pansy. All you do is run away. You’re nothing but a meat suit for that Titan and nothing more. I’m betting you wouldn’t last a day in any mission they send you on. Let’s face it, you’re nobody and that’s all you will ever be Hoover.” He then slammed his head in the puddle as he felt his head hit a hard rock. The leader then couldn’t resist one last kick as he landed it on Bertholdt’s side causing him to flip over and find his face in the water, clutching his side. _

_ “Let’s go guys. This nobody isn’t worth it.” They turned and started walking away while laughing at Bertholdt’s beaten body and spirit. He still didn’t move as he was still in pain. But more than that, he didn’t want to get up.  _

_ Maybe they were right. Maybe he was nobody and didn’t deserve the Titan. He didn’t want the damn Titan in the first place but now here he was. The God of Destruction; lying face down in a puddle of rain broken and defeated. _

_ It was easy for anyone to not see Bertholdt crying as any who saw him would have mistook his tears for rain. _

_ …… _

“GET DOSE TANKS UP ‘ERE. GET READY TO FIRE.”

Nob Big Boss Grumlok, second to Ghazghkull roared to the other boyz as the Goffs ran all over panicked at the sight of the skinless giant. Since the explosion in Mad Dog Pass, the giant had made its way through the narrow pass and was about to hit the Ork Stronghold. While many Orks were running around confused and frightened, he managed to smash some heads together to restore order. He had sent some boyz to the outer towers to man the Big Shootas while rerouting the looted tanks salvaged from dead Guardsmen to the center of the stronghold. 

Grumlok had no idea if any firepower the Goffs had was going to even tickle the giant that was approaching them. All he knew was that it was coming this way, no doubt on its way to Big ‘Un Mountain. Over his dead body.

The tanks had arrived, and the drivers began to load their cannons. As they were finishing up, more boyz poured into the center of the Goffs stronghold town armed with any weapon they could find. Axes, sluggas, shootas, stikkbombz, and anything else they could scrounge together. But he knew that the Goffs weren’t going to run. They had already lost their home once and they would rather die than see it destroyed again. 

He then walked through the center giving orders to the panicked Nobs that he could tell were wanting to flee but they feared what Ghazghkull would do to them if they did. That was good because if there was anything that Ghazghkull had besides respect within his klan; it was fear.

“Yuz. Get wiff da Stormboyz and get da Rokkit Launchaz placed on da building tops. Yuz over dere, stop wetting yaself and get to da front and smash some ‘eads. Make zure da boyz don’t go anywhere. Yuz. Yeah yuz. Get to da Mek Shop and find out where da zoggin koptas and bommaplanes are. If we’z gonna take dat ding down, we’z need air support now.” Grumlok’s powerful words shot hope through the Nobs as they fanned out to follow the Nob Boss’s orders.

Deep down, Grumlok was terrified of the beast. Never before had he seen a Titan this size or with such power that rivalled their very own Titan. Grumlok was starting to believe what Ghazghkull had been saying all along. The Orks were straying from their kultur and were angering the One Who Creates because of it. Now, their god had enough and sent a creature of doom to punish them. Even if it were true, Grumlok and the Orks weren’t going anywhere. They lived to fight and honor their god and if this was a trial to prove their strength, he sure wasn’t going to back down and neither would his Chief and Warboss.

The gargantuan giant continued to move closer to the gates of the stronghold. Though it was moving slowly, it didn’t take away from the immense size and power it could possibly wield. How the hell were they going to stop this thing? He then looked back to Big ‘Un Mountain where his boss and friend was at right now. Grumlok wondered if he knew what was going on at his home right now. He sure hoped he did because his presence would rally all the Goffs and fill them with a sense of determination and Orkiness. But until then, he would have to do and step up.

He reached down and grabbed his Battleaxe after he tightened his armor and also grabbed his personal Rokkit Launcha. He was going to arm himself to the teeth and if it required, climb the damn Titan itself and tear the nape off with his bare hands. He then grabbed the Goffs Waaagh Banner and had another Nob place it in the back of his armor. It was tradition for Nob Bosses and even chiefs to grab the Ork klan’s banners and carry them into battle to show the power of the klan and rally the Orks. 

With many of the Ork Boyz swarmed in the center of the stronghold, Grumlok could tell that despite their drive to fight, they still seemed scared. Grumlok planned to fix this right now. He climbed to the top on one of the parked tanks and placed his Battleaxe down to take off the Waaagh Banner and held it firmly in his huge hand. 

“BOYZ. EYEZ ON ME AND FACE YA EARZ TOWARDZ ME. I KNOW YUZ LOOKZ AT DA TITAN AND FEAR IT. BUT GUESS WHAT? WE ARE DA ORKS. WE ‘AVE BEEN BRED AND ZHAPED TO BE WARRIORS AND CONQUERORS. WE ARE DA FIST OF DA ONE WHO CREATES AND NO BEAST, NO MATTA ‘OW BIG, IZ GOIN’ TO TAKE DAT AWAY FROM US. FEEL DA WAAAGH FLOW THROUGH YA ‘EADZ AND VEINZ AND USE IT TO UNLEASH YA INNER BEASTS. FOR DA GOD TITAN ‘AZ GIVEN US A CHALLENGE AND I ZERTAINLY AM GOING TO PROVE DAT I AM AN ORK. ALRIGHT BOYZ, READY YA WEAPONS AND ZHARPEN YA AXEZ. IT’Z TIME TO FIGHT!” From that, all the Orks shouted their approval and all sense of fear went away. Grumlok could tell that they were ready to throw themselves at the skinless giant and if they died defending their home, so be it. That was the way of the Ork. He then turned to face the giant and raised the banner high in the sky. “ERE WE GO BOYZ. FOR GHAZGHKULL. FOR GRIMGOR. FOR THE ONE WHO CREATES. WAAAGH!”

“WAAAGH!” The Orks roared as they charged towards the giant that threatened to destroy their home and history. 

……

Orkimedes struggled and squirmed but the grip Ghazghkull had on his throat was tight and no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape form the Warboss’s tightening grasp. He was losing breath and he wasn’t strong enough to lift his Power Klaw to strike him. 

Ghazghkull was fuming. Not only did he see his former _Gretchin_ and friend be tortured in front of him and not being able to do anything to help him, but Orkimedes intentionally prodding on Bert’olt with the transformation of his humie friend to transform him into the very thing Bert’olt feared, that was too far. So when they quickly teleported away and returned to the overlook tower of Big ‘Un Mountain, Ghazghkull recovered quickly and grabbed the Big Mek by the throat and started dragging him to the window. Even with Gorbad telling him to stop, he wasn’t going to listen. Orkimedes had gone too far and he was going to put the Mad Ork down once and for all.

It took Ghazghkull only two hard punches to shatter the whole window; his fists not even stinging from the glass shards lodged in his fists. He then let go of Orkimedes as he crashed to the ground and struggled to breathe. Out of rage, Orkimedes swung his Power Klaw at Ghazghkull but the Warboss was ready for it. He grabbed the Klaw and without a second’s hesitation; ripped it off with barely any effort. 

Orkimedes screamed in immense pain as his Power Klaw was the main part of his cybernetic arm and ripping it off filled the Big Mek with sheer pain. “Ya fucking grot. Yuz torn my arm off ya damn wazzock.” Ghazghkull’s rage only intensified as he released an anger-filled punch right under his jaw resulting in some of Orkimedes’s teeth fly out of his mouth. Covering his mouth with his remaining arm, Ghazghkull grabbed Orkimedes by the leg and held it out of the window. 

Orkimedes started screaming and flailing as found himself hanging upside, but soon figured out that struggling wasn’t going to do him any good. Ghazghkull couldn’t resist a little smile. He had dreamed about doing something like this to the mad grot and he was really tempted to just drop him right then and there. But Ghazghkull knew that he probably had something to save the Goffs from the rampaging Kolossal Titan that Bert’olt ‘Oover wielded and based on what happened and how the Kolossal was acting; Bert’olt was not in control and was instead consumed by rage that could be considered berserk. He was close to his home now and there was no telling what he would do or what damage he would cause.

“I zhould drag yuz to ya own Titan petz and zhove ya down dere mouths and make dem chew slowly. Dat would be zhatisfying right now.” Ghazghkull could have sworn he saw Orkimedes change from green to white in an instant. “But yuz be da only one dat can possibly fix dis so I dought maybe ‘anging yuz upside down will ‘elp da smartiness in ya flow directly to ya ‘ead to ‘elp ya dink. NOW DINK!” Ghazghkull purposely loosened his grip causing Orkimedes to panic more.

“WARLORD! ‘ELP ME!” Gorbad moved right next to Ghazghkull and placed his armored hand on Ghazghkull’s bare shoulder. “Ghaz, put ‘im down. We need ‘im.” 

Ghazghkull glared at his friend and brother. “Not a chance. Not only ‘az dis pathetic excuse for an Ork been playin’ wiff powerz clearly not meant for uz and endangering our lives prodding at da _Gretchin_ Titanz; but know ‘iz disregard ‘az dat giant Titan aimin’ straight for my klan and endangerin’ my boyz. Zo forgive me Warlord but I ain’t lettin’ go until dis quiverin’ green squigbait tellz me how he be fixin’ dis RIGHT ZOGGIN’ NOW.” His pure hatred and anger spilled out of his mouth and Gorbad hesitated and stepped back out of instinct like he was expecting an attack.

However, this only angered Gorbad and this time he slammed his arm on Ghazghkull’s shoulder again with greater force. “Lizzen Ghaz. I know yuz are angry about wat be happenin’ and I’z understand. I be just as angry at da one-armed grot as yuz are. But dangling ‘im over da edge threatenin’ ‘im wiff deff ain’t goin’ to ‘elp dingz. Zo please brudda, calm down and bring ‘im back in.” Ghazghkull didn’t respond as he coldly looked at Gorbad and then returned to his hateful look at the dangling Orkimedes. “Alright den. If talkin’ as a brudda and friend won’t work den lizzen to me as your Warlord. Drop da Mek or I will break ya bones and force Mek parts on ya body. NOW PUT ‘IM DOWN WARBOSS!”

Ghazghkull definitely did not want to do that and he wanted to see Orkimedes plummet to his death but when he put his anger aside, he knew his Warlord was right. Growling, he tightened his grip on Orkimedes’s leg and slammed him on the tower floor. Orkimedes coughed violently and grasped his chest with his one arm. 

Ghazghkull returned his gaze to Gorbad with shame. “I’m sorry brudda. I’z not be dinking straight.” Actually, Ghazghkull knew exactly what he was thinking and what he was planning on doing but in order to save face and actually apologize to his Warlord, he figured it was best to at least pretend to feel sorry. 

Luckily, it seemed to work and Gorbad’s grip softened and softly patted him on the shoulder. “I’z understand. Your home is unda attack by a creature of ‘iz own makin’. I would be mad too but unfortunately, he iz da only ‘un who can possibly find a way to stop it.” Ghazghkull nodded and the two performed their brotherly handshake. Afterwards, Gorbad returned to his angered state and walked over to the injured Orkimedes. Ghazghkull smiled as his friend and brother grabbed the Ork by the head and dragged him to the broken window. He held him and made him look out of the window. “Look outside Orkimedes. What do you see?”

Ghazghkull also looked out to witness what was happening. Bert’olt’s Titan had breached the stronghold’s gate with a single step of his mighty figure. He heard gunfire and the loud blasts from cannons and Rokkit Launchaz but it seemed to have no effect. Every once in a while, Bert’olt would lean down and swipe at the ground sending multiples of Orks and buildings flying. He then let out a roar and lifted his giant foot and smashed it on the ground resulting in a small quake that caused more structures to collapse. Ghazghkull had no doubt that many Orks were squashed under him as of now. He wanted to rush out there and support Grumlok and his klan but without any possible way to stop Bert’olt or calm his rage, it would only result in his unfortunate squashing. 

He turned back to a whimpering Orkimedes and growling Gorbad. “What I zee Big Mek, is your project backfirin’ and az a result; goin’ rampant on my Warboss’s klan. It is clearly comin’ do destroy dis mountain as it ‘az not deviated from itz ztraightforward path. And if I reckon correctly, yuz be da ‘un he be afta and dis mountain is basically ya ‘ome. Zo I’d dink of some’ding before I have Krimson Killa rip yuz in half. Or even betta, I’ll shove ya down da beast’z gullet meself. Maybe dat will appease da big grot eh?” 

“Okay Okay. I admit, I didn’t dink he would be dat big and powerful. I waz expectin’ dat he would be da same size if not zlightly bigga den da regular ‘unz. I don’t ‘ave any’ding to drain ‘im at da moment but if yuz can ‘old ‘im off, I can change dat. I swearz on da One Who Creates I can.” Gorbad only tightened his grip on his head and Orkimedes began to struggle. “Dat’s not good enough Orkimedes. I knowz full well dat yuz don’t believe in ‘im so ya swearing on ‘im doesn’t fill me with zecurity. But I don’t ‘ave time. If dat Titan lays a finga on dis mountain or destroyz Ghazghkull’s ‘ome, well, ya know da consequencez don’t ya?” Orkimedes only gulped and nodded as much as Gorbad’s grip would allow him to. 

Gorbad threw him back inside and hit his back hard. He then took out something that hid underneath his armor. It was a tiny weird-looking thing that Ghazghkull knew all too well. Gorbad blew into it while Ghazghkull went and grabbed two Power Klaws from an armory that was close by. Once he returned, he was just in time to see the huge beast known as Krimson Killa hovering next to the broken window. 

The Wyvern Krimson Killa was huge and was probably bigger to a human. It was about the same size as one of Orkimedes’s biggest Titans and its skin was hard and covered with scales. Its wings were huge and ever flap of its wings sent a heavy gust threw the window and at the far edge of its wings were the clawed hands of the beast; claws that could easily tear through a Troll’s hide. The Wyvern then turned to look at its master with its large head and let out a little roar of happiness; exposing the many rows of armor-tearing teeth. Gorbad patted its head and jumped onto the saddle tied to its back. Once he settled in he motioned for Ghazghkull to hop on. Gulping because of his dislike of flying he regardlessly jumped on and made himself comfortable behind Gorbad. 

“Remember Orkimedes, not a finga on da mountain. If it happens…” Gorbad let out a noise with his mouth and Krimson Killa instinctively growled and barred his teeth at the Big Mek. Orkimedes crawled backwards until he reached the wall. Ghazghkull figured the point was made and he reminded his friend that they had a home to save. Gorbad whistled and Krimson Killa turned away and started flying towards the Kolossal Titan. 

Once Gorbad and Ghazghkull were far enough away, Orkimedes let out a sigh of relief. After a few minutes of easing his aching pains, he managed to his feet. He then limped over to the broken window again to see what was unfolding. He couldn’t help but smile. 

He then received a message that was transmitted through his cybernetic eye, Orkimedes blinked twice and immediately, he received the message.

_ Weaponz are primed and be ready to move out Big Mek. Da Black Skull Kommandoes are ztanding by. When do we’z get to play?  _

Orkimedes blinked three times and used his cybernetics to enter his message to relay it back to Snikrot. 

_ Ztay put Snikrot. Let it all play out. When I’z tell ya, den yuz can introduce yaself.  _

He then stared at the carnage happening outside his mountain once more and relished it. True, he did expect the boy to wield a powerful Titan, but the magnitude of its power was completely unexpected. But being the genius he was, he prepared for such a thing. He also didn’t expect the Titan to emerge from Mad Dog Pass and head straight for the mountain but with this, opportunities followed. If he waited long enough, it was possible that the boy would obliterate the Goffs and his two obstacles, Gorbad and Ghazghkull, for him and with them out of the way, his ascension would be much easier. But knowing himself, he always made sure to never assume the outcome and would roll with whatever the results were. However, it mattered not. His prize was within his grasp and nothing was going to stop him.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

……

Wurrzag stood outside of the balcony staring at what was happening in front of him. The Kolossal Titan, said to be the most powerful being to ever walk Bert’olt’s planet, ripping through his new home and tossing dead Orks in the air only to drop and litter the streets with corpses.

Wurrzag was saddened by what was unfolding. He had tried so hard to convince Ghazghkull to stop Orkimedes and Gorbad so this outcome would not transpire but he had failed. And now, the Prophecy was playing out as foretold. For so long he had tried to redirect it to avoid the scenario, trying to not see Grimgor’s and Ghazghkull’s home burned and destroyed a second time. How foolish was he to believe that he could do it? He should have just accepted that the One Who Creates wanted it this way.

But now was not the time to mope, He looked to the mountain and in the distance, he saw many flying figures appear in the sky from behind the mountain. It had to be the Ork air forces coming to deal with Bert’olt’s Titan. However, he knew that mere bullets and bombs would only piss the angry Titan boy off. He had to do something and fast before the Goff’s new home was laid to waste.

He stepped inside and quickly walked past the throne of Ghazghkull. He entered the room that was Bert’olt’s room and started investigating. He looked all around the room until he found a torn-off piece of his slave clothing. Relieved, he moved to the center of the room and sat down with legs crossed. He laid the cloth on his lap and began to breathe slowly. 

Once he was in a state where he couldn’t smell, hear, or feel, he felt the Waaagh rush through him. He wasn’t sure if this was going to work but he had to try. Despite the fact that he knew that the Prophecy was set in stone, he would do his damnedest to save the boy. He was the one who was promised, he was sure of it. 

He no longer felt his body as his connection to the Waaagh allowed his mind to wander. His eyes opened and emitted a green light and his veins glowed with green electricity. Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet had now entered the Waaagh.

……

Grumlok managed to duck out of the way of a crashing tank as it descended from the sky, Grumlok then rolled away seconds before it exploded into many pieces of shrapnel. A loose gear hit Grumlok in the face, but he didn’t feel it. Right now, he was angry at the giant that was making a mess of his home. He had already watched his first home fall to ruin by the demonic hosts and now a godlike creature was about to do it again, Grumlok thought not. 

He made his way through the hordes of Orks either charging towards the giant or running around to look for a bigger weapon to possible bring down the Titan. So far, everything they had thrown at the beast had done little to nothing to bring down it down. Any little injury they made to it instantly disappeared as it healed faster than they could injure it. 

Grumlok was looking for his friend and Mekboss of the Goffs klan; Gazbag. Knowing him and his mind for tinkering, he was probably on his Battlewagon _Bloody Sun_ right now building a weapon to possibly bring it down. Or so he was hoping. 

Another two tanks zoomed past them followed by Wartrukks filled with heavily armed boyz ready to try and bring the damn beast down. On top of the trukks were eager Stormboyz ready to chop away at the skinless grot. He hoped they could carve it up but he highly doubted that they would do anything. He was sure hopping that Gazbag had something up his sleeve. At least to slow it down until the Blitz-Bomma planes bomb the hell out of the beast. But they were coming from the hangars of Mt. Bloodhorn and he didn’t know how far they were. 

He finally found the _Bloody Sun_. The Battlewagon was basically a huge trukk with armor plated all over with small guns and mounted turrets littered across the outside. It had bigger wheels and treads like the tanks. What made it dangerous was the large tank cannon attached to the top and even had a large controllable claw to grab enemies and rip them in half. Gazbag’s little home was basically a fortress of horror and warfare. 

He climbed up the ladder and past the boys firing all of the _Bloody Sun’s_ guns and cannon at the Titan. He pushed the door open and entered the shoddy interior. “Grumlok, what ya be doin’? Close da damn door, yuz will let in bad energy.” Grumlok rolled his eyes as he slammed the door. Gazbag was always a crazed loon that expected every worst possibility every damn minute of the day. He was insecure as hell but that was what made him one of the best. His inventions managed to get the job done because of his messed-up brain. “Do yuz ‘ave any of its flesh on ya? It could be poizon or contaminate da air in ‘ere.”

Grumlok went over and smacked the bumbling Mek on his head. “Knock it off Gazbag. It didn’t shed on me ya git. Do you ‘ave any’ding to take down dis ding dat so ‘appenz to be playin’ in our ‘ome like a damn ‘umie whelp? Cuz it be gettin’ mighty maddenin’. Now can ya please rid ya ‘ead of nutz and boltz and tell me how da fuck are we gonna save our ‘ome?” 

“Calm down Grumlok. I ‘ave come up wiff a plan. It ‘az a ‘igh chance to work.” Grumlok eased up and let Gazbag speak. “I ‘ave programmed da _Bloody Sun_ to go fasta’ at ‘igh speedz. If we lose da gunz and da claw, we can zoom fasta den da tankz. We ‘ave da weight zo if we ram da beast’s feet at a ‘igh enough speed, we can make it collapse. It lookz like it be too big to possibly get up fast enough and if da Blitz-Bommaz arrive, dey can bomb da back and possibly do damage to it.” 

Grumlok was gobsmacked. He had not thought of that and it reminded him how intelligent the Mek really was. Once he stopped fucking babbling, he could solve the problem in an instant. The plan did have a high chance to succeed. He was right. With the Battlewagon, it had enough weight to force the Titan down. Even if the Blitz-Bommaz didn’t arrive, he could have the tanks fire all across the back and have the Stormboys set explosives off on the neck and head to possible blow the head up beyond repair. This could possibly work. 

“Alright Gazbag. Get ya boyz dissemblin’ da wagon and I’ll get da boyz to clear a paff for ya. Den we will drive and bring ‘im down. Den we will end dis threat and save our ‘ome. Who knows? Maybe he will give yuz a promo’shion and replace dat git Orkimedes wiff ya Gazbag.” He then turned around and opened the door and exited with hope. 

“Grumlok. Close da zoggin door ya git.”

……

_ “…and she knows how to kick and throw people about twice her size down on their backs within a second. She is smart and even though she doesn’t talk much, she has a beautiful laugh and her smile just blows me away. I wish that I have the courage to tell her how I feel but I’m afraid of what will happen.”  _

_ No response came from Bertholdt’s sleeping father as he was in a deep sleep. He had no idea if he was listening to him or not but just talking to him even if he was asleep. He had no idea what he was sick from but whatever it was caused him to cough violently and bleed from his ears, nose, and mouth whenever he was awake and when he was asleep, it was like he was in a coma. Every doctor they brought in, even the Marleyan one that Zeke kindly sent him, was dumbfounded by the symptoms and every idea they had was shot to the ground. He hated seeing his father like this. _

_ He liked to think that him being here and telling him his stories were healing him. Even though he knew deep down that it wasn’t true, but he was a kid. He would believe in anything, even his own lies, if it would make his father better, he would convert himself instantly. _

_ “She’s beautiful in every single way. I just wish I knew why she is so shutoff all the time. I want to be her friend like I am with Reiner but every effort I make she just glares or walks away. I wish you could tell me how to talk her. You always gave me good advice. I know what you would say; this isn’t a high priority. But I would like to figure her out. Maybe…maybe she is afraid of me because I’m the Colossal and she sees me as a freak like the other kids think.” _

_ He hated the way everyone looked at him. Besides Reiner, everyone looked at him as if he was a coward who didn’t deserve to be the Colossal (which he also believed to be true) or that he was a dangerous freak to avoid as much as possible. He seriously had no idea why Reiner was so friendly to him, so he stuck to him as much as possible. As long he had one friend, he would be fine.  _

_ “I’m starting my Titan training when I get back. …… I’m scared Dad. I don’t want to do this. You know what they call me? They call me the “God of Destruction” and all they expect me to do is blow up and be fine with killing people. But I’m not the killer they think me to be Dad. I treasure life, I don’t……eradicate and destroy life. I just want to be a normal kid. I just want to go to school, read as many books as I can, explore the woods and look at animals. Damn it dad, I just want to be a kid.”  _

_ He started pounding his fists on his knees as he spoke his mind.  _

_ “I don’t want to this. It was hard enough when you taught me take an animal’s life but having to take an actual person’s life; maybe more? I just can’t do it. They should have chosen someone else or I should have at least done something to make myself look bad………” he stammered as he started to shed tears. “But I didn’t want to upset mom. I don’t know if you know what she is like now, but she isn’t really my mother anymore. She acts more like a tyrant around here whenever I visit and tells me how much of a screwup I am, and I have to be stronger and act like the Warrior I am destined to be. I literally hide from her now because she drinks more and starts to threaten me with abuse if I act out of line.” _

_ He started to curl up in a ball on his chair as he started to sob uncontrollably.  _

_ “I know I am supposed to hate her for what she has become but I can’t. I don’t want to hate her or anyone else. She is my mother and everyone is a person including her. Why can’t everyone just be themselves and accept everyone for who they are? Why does everyone have to hate everyone and fight each other? Why can’t everyone be friends?” _

_ He peeked out of his ball to look at his dead-looking father. He got off of his chair and kneeled on the floor and grabbed his father’s hand and pressed his hand against it and squeezed it tight with both of his hands. “I wish you were here dad. God, I wish you were okay and here right now.”  _

_ Bertholdt had never felt so alone. Even with Reiner, he doubted that that friendship would last long. Marcel only cared for Porco and Annie was just a closed book. The other kids saw him as a freak and coward and his own mother called him a failure for all of his life. Why bother living if everyone hates you or talks about you behind your back? What’s the point if everyone doesn’t see you as a person?  _

_ He stayed at his father’s side crying. “I need you dad.” _

_ He then heard a glass break behind him. He turned to see glass shards spread across the ground. He looked to see his drunk angry mother staring at him. _

……

Ghazghkull felt his grasp tighten as he held onto Gorbad’s saddle as Krimson Killa took a little dive which did not agree with Ghazghkull’s stomach. How the hell was Gorbad completely fine with riding his beast at great speeds in the air and not able to handle being teleported? 

They were close to being halfway to the Goffs stronghold but from what Ghazghkull was seeing from above, he was not liking the outcome. Bert’olt was already a good way into the stronghold and whenever he moved, explosions and destruction followed him. He would lean down and swipe his huge hands across the ground to swat away Ork defenders and their vehicles aside. He even saw him swat down a few Deffkoptas that got too close to his mighty figure. Was there anything in the Ork arsenal to even bring him down?

Ghazghkull hoped that Bert’olt would come to his senses and calm down to see what he was doing and stop. All the time he lived with Ghazghkull, Bert’olt didn’t seem like the type to crave destruction and go straight to mass murder but would instead find another way. However, he doubted that Bert’olt would do that now. 

He was too angry to stop and Ghazghkull couldn’t blame him. Ghazghkull remembered the conversations when he talked about Briggs. According to his lanky friend, the humie Briggs was someone that looked after Bert’olt whenever he was in the shanties. He would share food with Bert’olt whenever he could and when he wasn’t, he was brightening his day with jokes and tales of his past. Bert’olt even said that if Briggs was a part of his early life, he would have been better off. Ghazghkull believed that Briggs was like Bert’olt’s Grimgor; a figure to look up to. 

Seeing him be condemned to a life as a bloodthirsty creature would have no doubt sent Bert’olt into a berserk rage and Ghazghkull couldn’t blame him despite the fact he was destroying his town. He wouldn’t know what he would do if Gorbad or Grimgor had suffered the same fate. He decided that it was best not to think about it. 

Gorbad turned to look at Ghazghkull. “How do ya dink Grumlok is faring wiff dat Titan? By da lookz of it; not very well.” 

“I’z don’t expect dat either. Grumlok ‘az fought Titanz but I doubt he knowz ‘ow to combat dat ding. ‘Opefully he ‘az Gazbag workin’ on some’ding. If not, we’z ‘ave to rely on……” Ghazghkull growled at the name he was about to say, “Orkimedes.”

“Lizzen Ghaz. I knoz ya ‘ave bad beef wiff ‘im but know yuz ‘ave to rely on ‘im to figure out ‘ow to defeat dis ding. Based on what we’z be zeein’, none of da regular weaponz be even slowin’ ‘im down. I’m not even confident I’z can ‘urt ‘im wiff Krimson Killa.” Ghazghkull just scowled but he knew that his friend was probably right. What the hell was he going to do to save his town and Bert’olt? 

That option was hard. As chief, he has to protect his klan and home by any means necessary. And if necessary, he would have to kill the _Gretchin_ he once owned to save them. But as a friend, he couldn’t see himself going through with that. Yes, it was his duty to protect his home, but he also believed as a friend, he had the responsibility to save his friend at all cost. He was starting to think that the chance to do both was getting slimmer by the minute.

He wasn’t even sure the plan he thought of was going to work. Confidence did not seem to be on the Warboss’s side right now.

“Ghazghkull, I ‘ave to ask. Did yuz know about da boy’z power to transform into dis beast?” Ghazghkull was shocked by the answer but shook his head no. He wasn’t going to give Gorbad that information, despite him being his mountain brother. “I’z find dat ‘ard to believe. Maybe I’z be readin’ it wrong but while wez were in dat paff, ya didn’t take yourz eye off of da _Gretchin_. And when he zeemed to be transforming, ya immediately ducked into da building. Did yuz ‘ave a perzonal ding wiff da boy? I’z need to know if I can ztill trust ya.”

Despite the huge urge in him to tell the truth, Ghazghkull couldn’t do it. “No. I’z don’t. I reacted because of what I zaw in Orkimedes’z lair.” Gorbad didn’t seem to buy it but they both knew that now was not the time to question loyalties and hidden motives. But Ghazghkull was sure that he wasn’t going to be let off the hook that easy.

“Good. Den it will be eazy for ya to rip dat boy’z ‘ead off for deztroyin’ ya ‘ome den Ghaz.”

Ghazghkull held his breath at that statement. What Gorbad said only made his plan to save both Bert’olt and his home much harder. Now he had to worry about the watchful eye of his Warlord as he was going to supposedly kill the Kolossal Titan.

Things were only becoming more difficult.

……

The giant had broken the Ork lines in the center of the stronghold as it continued to make its way towards the mountain. However, Grumlok had ordered his Nobs to form a huge line of remaining tanks and Ork heavy weapons teams at the exit of the stronghold. There, they would unleash a barrage to stun the giant giving him and Gazbag all the time they need to ram into its foot and cause it stumble. Then they would unleash every single piece of ammunition they had while the Stormboyz release their stikk-bommz on the giant’s neck. Hopefully, the Blitz-Bomma planez would arrive to help them seal the deal with their powerful bombs. 

Their home may lie in ruins, but if the giant believed that it was going to destroy the sacred monument of the One Who Creates and the place Grimgor Ironhide saved all of Orkdom from certain eradication, it was dead wrong. 

The Goffs were going to make it a fight to get that and it was going to be over their dead green bodies. 

Grumlok stood on the top of the near disassembled Battlewagon. With one hand on the railing and the other squeezing his Battleaxe as if he was about to charge into the thick of battle. He gripped the railing and didn’t move for a minute. He was scared and felt that if this plan didn’t work, he would die squished under the giant’s foot. But then he steeled himself. If was going to die today then he would go out in a heat of glory. He would be worthy of going to the Great Green Beyond and fighting in the eternal afterlife in the halls of the One Who Creates. That’s the way any Ork planned to go out. 

Once he collected his thoughts and Orky confidence, he slammed his feet on the top of the trukk to signal Gazbag to see if he was ready to drive this big war machine into the huge foot of the giant. He then heard two bangs from underneath and Gurmlok knew that Gazbag was ready to do this. He then raised a horn to his mouth and blew with all his might. The horn roared across the stronghold that even made the giant stop and turn around to see what it was. It then turned around and continued marching toward the Ork line. 

The cannons of the tanks and the Rokkits and any other other explosives the Orks had were launched straight at the giant’s face and upper area. The united firing sent large booming noises that reached even the far sides of Mad Dog Pass. The shots hit the giant straight in the face and upper chest and it successfully caused it to put up its arms in defense. After a few minutes of firing, Grumlok slammed the butt of his Battleaxe on the top and immediately the wheels of the _Bloody Sun_ whirred to life as they spun in place. Then, the Battlewagon drove forward at a jolting pace.

The Battlewagon drove through sharp corners and small alleys to make sure that the giant didn’t see it until it was on the straightaway with enough speed to bring the damn demon down. Grumlok held tight on the railings and making sure not to fall off. It was tough securing his footing and trying not to fly off the fucking trukk. He was then starting to regret this plan as he was worried that this wouldn’t work, and he was as crazy as the Ork driving the Battlewagon right now. 

Then he heard a sound that brought a smile to his face. 

He looked up to find the miracle he was looking for. The Blitz-Bommaz had arrived and they weren’t too far from the giant. They were beginning to circle around the giant and thankfully the giant didn’t notice because the Goffs were firing at its face. This was perfect. This was their chance at saving Big ‘Un Mountain and avenging their home and fallen boyz. All doubt faded instantly from the Nob Boss’s mind as he was then filled with determination and a little excitement. 

The _Bloody Sun_ reached the central road and Grumlok felt Gazbag step on the petal. The Battlewagon then zoomed towards the left foot of the giant and to their luck, the giant was still trying to move forward, and his right foot was already off the ground. It was now or never and Grumlok couldn’t help but let out a WAAAGH warcry. 

The Battlewagon slammed right into the left foot with such force that Grumlok’s grip slipped and he flew off the top of the Battlewagon and tumbled across the road’s surface. He then hit the side of a building, but he managed to ignore the pain and stood up to see the result. 

The Battlewagon was absolutely trashed, especially the front end. Sparks flew from the _Bloody Sun_ and there was a small fire where the engine was. The wheels were still whirring so that meant Gazbag was still alive and trying to back up. Grumlok didn’t care but he was happy the Mekboss and his friend was still alive and kicking. 

He then looked at the giant. The plan worked perfectly and the giant was kneeling on his left knee and the right foot was planted firmly on the road due to the giant having to catch itself with its already raised foot and slamming it into the ground sent a shock through it. His chest and head were faced forward and downward exposing the back and neck. Its arms were on the ground, trying to keep itself up just like Gazbag predicted. Now is the time to strike. He grabbed his horn again and blew. Within minutes, the Ork line and Stormboyz began firing volleys of explosives in the air aiming for the back of the giant. 

Now with an outline, the Blitz-Bommaz were turning and were heading straight for the giant’s back. They were organized in a straight line and were aiming for the giant’s neck. Grumlok grabbed his Battleaxe and removed his Waaagh Banner from his back and raised both up high and cheered. Victory was close at hand and the Goffs were going to destroy this giant once and for all. The Blitz-Bommaz were over the neck and every plane released their bombs and they dropped straight down. 

Then everything went wrong so fast. 

Right when the bombs were so close to landing on the neck, the giant let out a deep roar. Out of nowhere, steam erupted from the giant forcing Grumlok crashing into the wall of the closest building. The steam was zoggin hot as it easily turned the Waaagh Banner to dust and burnt both his skin and armor. 

He looked up and saw the Blitz-Bommaz fly all over the place and explode from the steam. Parts of the planes flew everywhere and crashed into the already burning structures of the Goff’s stronghold.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The many highly explosive bombs dropped from the Blitz-Bommaz flew back up into the air and scattered everywhere. Some hit the planes while others hit buildings and the Ork line in front of the giant. Explosions riddled the stronghold and what once was cries of victory and Orkiness filled with panic and death. Tanks burst into a thousand pieces, shrapnel was lodged into Orks or easily decapitated them, and Orks were disintegrated by the bombs. 

After the damage was done, the giant stopped steaming and then looked down at the Battlewagon that rammed into its foot. Grumlok saw the look in its eye and began charging straight to the _Bloody Sun_ to warn his friend. However, the giant reacted faster and grabbed the Battlewagon and held it straight in front of its face. With one glare, the giant roared and slammed the _Bloody Sun_ , the Battlewagon that belonged to Grumlok’s friend Mekboss Gazbag, into the ground and it exploded under his massive hand. 

Now Grumlok was pissed. Not only had the giant laid waste to his home and slaughtered thousands upon thousands of Ork boyz who trusted him but now it mercilessly murdered his friend; Grumlok was going to climb up the giant and hack to a million pieces if he had to. 

He grabbed his Battleaxe and let out his mighty WAAAGH! He charged at the giant and jumped in the air and landed a blow on the giant’s thumb. The hand moved in shock but Grumlok wasn’t done. He hooked his Battleaxe in between the index finger and middle finger and vaulted on the palm of the giant’s hand. He then charged up the giant’s arm slicing away at the giant’s arm. He made it to the shoulder and then launched himself at the giant’s face. With his own bestial roar, he slammed his Battleaxe into the giant’s eye resulting in a bellow from his foe. He started hacking away at the eye in a berserk rage. 

However, he wasn’t paying attention to the giant’s hand as it grabbed him in its steaming grip. 

……

Ghazghkull could not believe what he had just seen. He and Gorbad had arrived a few minutes after the supporting Blitz-Bommaz and he couldn’t have been more proud of his klan. Under the leadership of Grumlok, they had somehow managed to bring Bert’olt to his knee and with the coordination of the Blitz-Bommaz, they were going to drop heavy explosives on the nape area and if anything, the damage was going to force Bert’olt out of his Titan. This was going to work and he maybe able to follow through with his plan. 

Then everything changed. He didn’t realize that the Kolossal had a trump card up its sleeve and had the ultimate protection. The steam it generated from its body was so forceful and concentrated that it shot up any projectile away from its vulnerable nape. It was the ultimate smokescreen. Then he watched in horror as the bombs scattered everywhere and caused even more damage to Ghazghkull’s home. 

He knew he was supposed to be angry at Bert’olt but he couldn’t. Deep down, he knew that this was all Orkimedes fault and it was his tinkering that resulted in the death and destruction of his home. 

Krimson Killa swooped close to the Kolossal but it seemed that Krimson Killa was not to keen to engage with it. Its instincts told it that Bert’olt was the apex predator here and no matter how much Gorbad tried to change it, the Wyvern wouldn’t budge. So Ghazghkull resorted to his last method. He attached the two Power Klaws to his arms and took a massive leap off the Wyvern. Gorbad yelled in confusion as it was quickly drowned out by the loud wind. 

He hit Bert’olt’s head and bounced across the nape and neck. Luckily, he managed to dig his klaws into the skin of his back. After a breath of relief, he then began slowly climbing up and luckily Bert’olt was distracted enough to where he can climb without obstacles. After many painfully physical minutes, he managed to reach the shoulder. However, he was horrified when he saw his Nob Boss in the hand of the Kolossal. 

Grumlok was continuing to slash and hack at Bert’olt’s hand but it seemed to be to no avail. Grumlok was in his berserk mode and nothing was going to get him out of it until Bert’olt was dead. Ghazghkull then figured there was one thing he could possibly do. 

He remembered the Orkimedes said that a Titan’s central system or whatever he called it, he figured Bert’olt would probably be in there somewhere. 

“BERT’OLT. STOP DIS. DIS IZN’T YUZ. LOOK AROUND YA. IS DIS REALLY WHAT YA WANT?” He turned to Grumlok who was starting to be slowly crushed in Bert’olt’s increasing grip. “REMEMBER. DAMMIT BERT’OLT, WAKE UP. REMEMBER WHAT I ASKED YA. REMEMBER.”

……

“REMEMBER…”

_ Bertholdt opened his eyes and moved his head around slowly to see where that noise could have possibly come from. He was in the woods he used to explore as a kid. After one last look, he yawned and leaned back against the tree.  _

_ After his mom caught him speaking his thoughts out loud to his dad, she started yelling at him for what seemed like forever. When she started to break things in her drunken fit, Bertholdt ran outside and away from the house to a place only he would know. He fled into the woods and followed a makeshift path he made that reached a small creek. He leaned against his favorite tree and closed his eyes to forget the terrible day he was having.  _

_ When the voice woke him up, he noticed that moss and small branches were wrapped around him. He made little effort to try to move but he stopped bothering and just relaxed. He felt at peace as if he was finally where he belonged. He didn’t have to worry about anything except listening to the environment and taking it all in.  _

_ The sound of the creek and the gentle noises of birds and bugs was appeasing to his ears. In this place, he could forget everything he was feeling and just be him. He had the slightest feeling that he was angry about something. Was it his mom and her fit? Was it his dad’s sickness? Was it his bullying? He couldn’t remember but he figured it didn’t matter. He was safe and nothing was going to move him.  _

_ “…KE UP. REMEMBER WHAT I ASKED YA. REMEMBER!” _

_ Bertholdt opened his eyes again, the voice louder than last time. He looked around more frightened than before. What was the voice trying to tell him and why? What could the voice possibly want him to remember? Does he really want to remember?” _

_ “PLEAZE BERT’OLT. REMEMBER. _

_ The voice sounded friendly but Bertholdt still didn’t trust it. Somehow, he recognized the voice and his instincts told him to trust it. He closed his eyes and thought hard about what the voice was telling him to remember. He searched his seemingly empty head for answers and started noticing the moss and branches began to lessen their grip on him. He started sweating and actually began to start feeling pain. The voices of animals were drowned out by the new sounds of explosions, gunfire, and foreign roars. As his safe place was seemingly fading away, a single question popped into his head. _

“Does is make yuz feel powerful?”

Bertholdt opened his eyes and found himself embedded within the body of the Colossal Titan. He was slowly coming to his senses as if he had just woken up from a dream. After a few more minutes, he looked through the Colossal’s eyes to see what was happening. To his horror, he found himself in Ghazghkull’s home which was covered in fire and blood. Destroyed vehicles lay across the streets and numerous Ork corpses littered the roofs and buildings. He slowly returned to his feet and took everything in. 

The home of his remaining friend Ghazghkull Thraka was reduced to rubble and flames and it was all his fault. He had gone berserk and lost control. All he remembered was being angry and transforming; given in to his little demon on his shoulder. He then suddenly remembered why. Marcellus Briggs, Bertholdt’s father figure and friend, was transformed into a Titan just so Orkimedes could see the Warrior transform and he did exactly that.

He then started receiving terrible flashbacks of all the wrong he had done. The destruction of Caskernus, the accidental deaths of Marleyans in training, the breach of Wall Maria. But now he had done the unthinkable; he had used his Titan to personally slaughter more than half of a klan. It wasn’t like Caskernus where he simply blew up or breaking the wall and letting Titans in. He didn’t physically cause harm to anyone himself. But now looking around, that was all he had done. 

He then felt something in his left hand. He had no idea what it was, but he was afraid to open it and find out. But he decided that I couldn’t be as bad as looking at the destruction he had just caused. 

He had never been so wrong. 

When he opened his hand, he found a crushed Ork in the Colossal’s palm. From what he could tell, this was a powerful and well-respected Ork and this living thing, no matter how big and vile the Ork may have been, he still didn’t deserve to be killed like this. That was when he registered the fact that there was someone on his shoulder. He turned his eyes over to find Ghazghkull on his shoulder staring straight at the Ork in Bertholdt’s palm.

_ Oh God. He was a friend of his. What have I done? I did all of this. All he has done is help me and I destroy his home and possibly many of his friends. God, I am a monster. Everyone was right. I am a freak. _

A tear started to descend from the Colossal Titan’s eye. He had never felt like more of a failure of a person. He not only took lives today, he massacred them. 

Suddenly, a horn was sounded in the distance. Bertholdt turned around to see a convoy of weird looking trucks making their way through the rubble of the Goffs’ home. In the lead, there was a painted one with the flag of a blackened Ork Skull planted on top. Bertholdt had no idea what that meant but he figured that it was trouble. Out of instinct, he grabbed Ghazghkull from his shoulder and placed him on a roof and then started walking towards the vehicles. He was going to surrender and turn himself in. He deserved whatever punishment they were going to give to him. 

As the vehicles got closer, Bertholdt planned to kneel down and emerge from his body to surrender. All of a sudden, the vehicles shot their cannons. Bertholdt instinctively covered his face to block incoming cannon fire but something different happened. He instead felt large hooks pierce through his skin and lodged themselves deep within his body. Bertholdt started to panic and grabbed the hook lines to try and pull them out but they didn’t seem to be budging. What the hell were they planning on doing to them?

All of a sudden, he felt immense pain like never before. His Titan’s body felt like it was being torn apart from within, like a thousand large knives were cutting him to pieces inch by inch. He managed to peer through one of his eyes. From what he could register, he believed he saw lightning being sucked in through the hook lines. He had no idea what the hell they were doing but whatever purpose it served, Bertholdt wanted it to stop. 

He felt like the skin on his body was beginning to fade and he was turning into a huge skeleton. He desperately tried to grab at the hooks and rip them out, but he was getting weak. He had collapsed to his knees and was now holding his body up by his knees. 

_ Maybe this is what I deserve.  _

_ Maybe so Bertholdt. But you are not dying today. _

Without warning, he found that his human body within his Titan was starting to glow green and a small green bubble began to form around him. It felt nice and warm, as if it was healing him. However, Bertholdt was so exhausted from his time as a Titan and the hook attack, that he slipped into unconsciousness without even trying to fight it. However, one question continued to plague him in his mind.

“Does it make yuz feel powerful?” 

……

_ Da Titan is down boss. We’z got what ya wanted. Da lightning ‘az been ziphoned and is on ya way to ya now. Dankz for da fun show. _

Orkimedes smiled as he had finished taking in the finale of the scene that had played out. The result was better than he could have dreamed. Not only was the boy’s Titan more powerful than he could have ever hoped for, but his main problem’s klan had been nearly wiped out and heavily weakened. Gorbad was suspecting Ghazghkull and now with the energy Snikrot had just fetched for him with his spiffed-up vehicles, he had all he needed to execute the plan. 

Today was a fantastic day. From sunrise to sunset. 

After ordering his Mekboys to await Snikrot’s arrival, the Big Mek retreated to his office and locked his door. He then sat on his little makeshift throne and pressed his implant button to make a small table rise. He then grabbed a large cup of grog and began drinking. Suddenly, two blurry figures appeared holographically around the table. Orkimedes rose from his throne and began to approach the table with a boastful attitude. 

“Look to me and praize me. I ‘ave fulfilled my zide of da pact. I ‘ave acquired all da energy I could ever need; from a zhifta no less. I ‘as plenty to zpare. Now it be time to fulfill yuz zide of da pact, ya gits.”

The two blurry figures looked at each other and nodded. The one on the left disappeared while the other stood up and approached Orkimedes. “I am glad this partnership has produced the results we had in mind. You are correct my friend, we will deliver the talisman you desire and under your command; Waaagh Orkimedes will engulf the planet as you were promised.”

As soon as the figure disappeared, Orkimedes returned to his throne of metal and tech. After a minute of silence, he started laughing maniacally as he started to repair his mechanical arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Battlewagon:  
> Unique creations built by Mekboyz to show their evolution, they personalize their trukks and upgrade them to huge motor fortresses armed with mounted turrets, cannons, controllable claws and any other armament they decide to add to it. They are handy on the battlefield as they can be used as heavy transports, 'medical' centers, or weapon caches. 
> 
> The Goffs Klan:  
> Known for their fierce numbers and warrior's heart, these Orks make up the core of any Waaagh as they are the strongest Orks to take the battlefield besides the Black Orks. They are the largest klan to ever inhabit the Badlands of Ullanor and are the most welcoming to exiles, Savage Orks, and whelps. Many great Warlords have come from the Goffs such as Grimgor Ironhide and Azhag the Slaughterer. Fanatical in their faith of the God Titan, they believe that dying in the heat of battle and glory with weapon in hand, they are welcomed by the God Titan to fight in the eternal battlefield to fight to their heart's desire.


	11. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all for the reads and kudos. I really appreciate all of the reads and gives me the drive to write this story I hold close to my heart. I would also like to point you to Gerdr's Twitter page. Gerdr is a fantastic artist and not only has worked on some sketches of my fic but other crossovers and arts as well and I highly urge you all to check them out. And thank you Gerdr for all of your comments. It really means a lot to me. With that, enjoy the chapter and have a blessed day/night.

“Here you go son. Have a good day.” The man handed a small loaf of bread to Reiner. “Thanks sir.” With that, Reiner turned and once again struggled to make his way through the crowded streets of Trost. After he made his way through the sea of people, he found a nice step to sit on and sat down. He sniffed the bread and before he knew it, he was munching away at it.

_After I eat this, I’m gonna rest my feet for a while. Then when the crowd looks a little less packed, I’ll start again near Wall Rose. Maybe he will be there this time._

For what seemed like forever, Reiner had been searching high and low for his Warrior comrade and friend Bertholdt when the sun rose until the moon was at its highest. He had searched everywhere for him and had even asked the soldiers if they had seen him. However, both paths led him to a straight dead end. Bertholdt seemed to be nowhere. Reiner was starting to think that he may have been kidnapped but he continued to shoot down the idea. He knew that Bertholdt had a huge sense of caution and wouldn’t stray from people he trusted.

Deep down, he continued to beat himself up for the predicament he was in. He made it his job to watch over Bertholdt during their mission. He was always a silent person and always stuck to Reiner. Plus, Bertholdt was always there for Reiner whenever he needed him. He was there to help him up when Porco beat him down, there to sit with Reiner to eat when no one else would, to support him through the Warrior Program. He was even there to support him when both he and Annie wanted to return to Marley after Marcel’s death.

He sentenced millions of people to death to save them from the Titans outside of the wall.

He didn’t realize that he had crushed his bread in his hands while he was thinking. This only steeled him to keep looking for him. He was his only friend and Reiner had been nothing but terrible to him. He forced him to do something he didn’t want to do when they easily could have just climbed the wall without even destroying the gate. But in the heat of the moment, he told (more like ordered) Bertholdt to destroy the wall.

Had he made the wrong mistake? He would never know. What was done was done and he had to live with it.

After finishing his crushed bread, he got up and started walking with speed towards the gate of Wall Rose. He would Bertholdt and once again apologize for everything. He and Annie had blood on their hands but Bertholdt, the boy who treasured life, was covered from head to toe in it.

He just hoped that Bertholdt would never have to do that again, no matter how bad the situation was.

……

_“BROTHER! WATCH OUT!”_

_“AHHHHHHHHH!”_

_“BROOTHEEERRRR!!!”_

_Bertholdt covered his ears as he continued to hide under the rock. He had no idea what was happening, but voices were manifesting in his dream and he had no control over it. Not to mention that his Titan was after him in his dreams._

_Ever since whatever happened to him in the ruins of the Goffs home, he had entered what seemed to be a dream only to find that the Colossal Titan was steaming and angry and started slowly stomping towards him. In fear, Bertholdt began to run with all of the energy he could muster. He had no idea what his Titan wanted but he didn’t really want to figure out what._

_He tried to calm down and keep his breathing steady. The Titan’s loud footsteps were close, but the beast didn’t seem to know where he was. He stopped walking and from under the rock, Bertholdt could see the ginormous shadow enlarge as it seemed to be getting closer to the ground. Bertholdt’s sweating increased and panic began to fester in him once again but Bertholdt covered his mouth to make sure he didn’t scream. He inched further under the rock but froze when he saw the Colossal’s hand on the ground with his peripheral vision. He held his breath and stayed perfectly still._

_Just then, Bertholdt saw the large eye of the Colossal peek under the rock. The panic in him heightened but he managed to keep himself calm. The eye looked back and forth but it showed no signs of locating the scared child. It then vanished along with the hand but before Bertholdt could breathe in relief, the deafening roar of the Colossal covered the empty environment as the sounds of the footsteps moved away from him._

_Bertholdt fell to the ground and curled into a tiny ball. He had no idea what to do or what was going on._

_“Bertholdt. You must follow.” Bertholdt shot from his cowardly position and looked around. He had no idea where the voice was coming from. But he felt like he knew that voice. “Come on Bertie. Don’t hide there all day long.” Suddenly he knew who was talking to him._

_It was Marcel._

_Bertholdt rushed out from underneath the rock and looked to find his comrade. But he was nowhere in sight and neither was the Colossal. Afraid and considering hiding under the rock again, he started to go back. “It’s okay Bert. You’re safe. Follow me and I’ll lead you home.” Bertholdt turned to see Marcel’s figure covered in dense fog. He was lucky he could make out his shape and opened his mouth to call out but found that nothing was coming out._

_“No need for words. You can thank me later. Hurry before it comes back.” Bertholdt only assumed he meant the Colossal Titan. However, he had no idea what Marcel was doing here or where he was. But he didn’t want to stick around so he blindly raced towards his deceased comrade._

_As Bertholdt got closer, the fog started to condense around him, and he was starting to lose sight of Marcel’s place. He started reaching out around him, but he couldn’t feel anything. “Come on. Hurry.” Bertholdt ran as fast as he could but no matter how fast he went, Marcel’s voice only seemed to be farther away. Suddenly, the surface he was running on seemed to disappear as he fell down a rugged slope. He tumbled painfully down the slope until he finally reached flat ground. He lay there for a while until he thought he heard distant stomping of giant footsteps. He instantly shot to his feet and started running through the fog again._

_He then ran into something hard that connected with his chest. In pain, he fell to his back and held his chest. He coughed hard but luckily no noise came out. After he felt that his pain was somewhat controlled, he got to his feet and found something peculiar._

_The peculiar object he ran into was an oddly shaped anvil. It was made of crystal-like material, almost exactly what Bertholdt considered to be hardened Titan crystal that Reiner or Annie could generate. Somehow, whatever this was just felt stronger. He also noticed many strange symbols engraved onto it. He ran his hand across the top to find that it was smooth, like it was barely ever used._

_“You made it.” Bertholdt looked up to see the black figure of Marcel again in the distance. How he wished he could speak to ask what the hell was going on but alas, he seemed to have no voice. “It’s alright buddy. Just take it all in.” As he said that, the fog began to diminish as Bertholdt began to look around._

_What he saw was astonishing. Eight huge statues surrounded him. But he recognized them instantly. They were the figures of the Nine Titans. He recognized the Armored, Female, Beast, Colossal, and Cart Titans with ease. He found another figure he assumed was the War Hammer Titan. He then saw a fierce looking Titan next to the War Hammer but this one seemed to have a pair of glowing green eyes. He assumed that it must be the Attack Titan that the Marleyans lost long ago._

_“Cool aren’t they?” Bertholdt looked to see the shadowy figure of Marcel under the statue of the Titan that ate him. Bertholdt only assumed that it was the new Jaw Titan. The shadowy figure that was Marcel spread his arms. “Believe it or not. They aren’t the only ones.”_

_Suddenly, Bertholdt heard movement around him. He turned to find four more shadowy figures that looked not at all human. However, he recognized one of the figure’s composure to be that of an Ork. Was it Ghazghkull? The others seemed very different. One had horns on its head while another seemed to have a reptilian-like head. The other was hunched over and seemed to have a thin tail connected to it._

_Bertholdt backed against the anvil as they seemed to surround it as he moved. They then stopped and pointed to the sky to which Bertholdt’s eyes followed. In the air, streaks of light filled the suddenly starry sky and all of it seemed to be connected to a single source exactly above the anvil. It looked like a floating tree to Bertholdt. When Bertholdt squinted his eyes, he saw something mysterious in the middle of it. Bertholdt realized it was a girl in chains with eyes closed and what seemed to be tears streaking from her shut eyes._

_Bertholdt felt the urge to somehow fly up and unchain her but he knew he couldn’t. He then sensed that someone was behind him now. He quickly turned to see a bloodied Marcel standing right in front of him. Bertholdt’s breath hitched and had trouble breathing for a minute. Without warning, Marcel raised his index finger and pressed it against Bertholdt’s forehead._

_Out of nowhere, images started pouring through Bertholdt’s brain like an uncontrollable river. He could not make sense of them all and couldn’t seem to register what was what. Suddenly, large images were being shown to him._

_A black castle looming above rows of corpses._

_A burning map of the world inside of a burning house._

_A naked female angel being strangled by a purple serpent._

_A pyramid with a vortex raging over it._

_A destroyed Wall with a massive Titanic figure in front of it._

_A four-armed Colossal Titan roaring over a burning city._

_A golden throne with a skeleton on it._

_Bertholdt’s mind felt like it was about to explode. At last, the visions stopped as he fell on his hands and knees panting and sweating. He looked up from his position to look at Marcel, but he was no longer there. In fact, no shadowy figure or statue was around. They had all vanished._

_“The Time of Ending is coming Bertholdt. You must act or else he will claim the world and us all.”_

_He then cringed as he felt fear rush through him. He knew was behind him, but he was afraid to turn around. However, his body did not listen as it turned around to see what was behind him. Purple and red flames covered everything including the sky and they quickly surrounded him until he could see only the terrifying fire. He then felt fear like he never felt before as he began to sweat and tear up uncontrollably._

_It was then when a large creature’s head, what Bertholdt could only describe as a demon, emerged from the fire and stared at the fear-drenched boy with its hellfire eyes. When it roared, Bertholdt finally heard his voice as he screamed in utter terror._

Bertholdt shot up screaming and scurried back against what he processed to be a wall. He was breathing heavily, and he wasn’t stopping. The nightmare he had was truly terrifying and he was in no position to process all that happened. If this kept up, he was going to hyperventilate and pass out.

He then felt a _thunk_ on his head. “Ow.” He covered up the area he was hit and looked around. He noticed a bowl lying on the ground and he assumed that it was the object thrown at him. “Shut up Humie.” As soon as Bertholdt calmed down, he looked around the room. It was a small room with an open wall with bars. Bertholdt realized he must be in some sort of prison cell.

As he began to feel his senses return to him, he could feel the ground rumble slightly while his ears picked up applause and cheering from somewhere. He looked behind him to find a hole in the wall covered with bars. He looked around the room and saw a makeshift bench against one of the room’s walls. Standing on his wobbling feet, he went over and pushed it underneath the hole and against the wall it was on. He then stood on top of it to look out the hole.

The first thing he saw was what he could describe as a huge stadium with Orks filling every space in the arena. They were cheering, chanting, and eating as they were amused by whatever spectacle was entertaining them. He then turned to the center of the stadium. It was a claylike structure of a large Ork with wood outlining the armor as well as the sword and shield in its hand. It was actually not too bad unlike many other Ork structures.

He then heard the roar of an Ork and turned his attention to the center of the stadium. The first thing he saw was a massive naked Ork wielding a big axe and what looked like a shoddy Power Klaw. It was bleeding all over, but it seemed to not care as it was probably in a berserk state. He then saw it swinging at another figure that easily dodged the clumsy attacks.

Bertholdt squinted to get a better look at the figure. It looked like a man clad in blood red armor equipped with a large axe in one hand. His head was covered by a weird looking helmet and noticed that he had no protection for his bare arms. The man also roared and launched himself at the Ork with a frenzy of fierce attacks. The Ork didn’t expect it and clumsily moved to block it. The fight was getting closer to Bertholdt’s _window_ as the Ork seemed to be sapped of energy while the red-armored warrior remained unhindered.

Bertholdt wanted to step back but he found that his hands had glued themselves to the bars.

The Ork fell to its knees and raised its axe in a feeble defense. However, the warrior guessed the Ork’s clumsy move and swiped his axe horizontally. In a quick slash, both of the Ork’s arms holding the axe were cut clean off and sent flying into the crowd above Bertholdt. The naked Ork screamed in pain as it looked at its bleeding stumps. The warrior then noticed a staring Bertholdt from what Bertholdt could see, he seemed to ease up and his stance lessened as if he was no longer in danger.

However, Bertholdt could hear the crowd’s confusion and began to boo. Suddenly, the warrior placed his unarmed hand on his helmet as if he was trying to escape a trance. After shaking his head and giving it a good bang on the head, the warrior plunged the axe deep into the Ork’s head. What was worse, the axe started to roar with life as the spikes on the edges of the axe started moving like they were on a conveyor belt. The Ork’s blood was sprayed everywhere and Bertholdt found that some of it landed on his face and even in his mouth.

“AND ANO’DA WIN FOR DA CHAMPION. LET’Z ALL GIVE ‘IM A ROAR OF APPROVAL.”

As Bertoldt continued to throw up and desperately wipe the blood from his face, all he could hear was the ending of what seemed like an Ork announcer.

“ZEE YUZ ALL TOMORROW. UNTIL DA END TIMEZ, DERE IS NO PLACE BLOODIER DEN BLACK CRAG!”

……

“What exactly do you want me to do? I have been searching this whole town for him. I can’t grow wings and exactly shout his name on high from the clouds.”

Annie’s brows dropped into a glare as Reiner’s sarcastic tone didn’t seem to do anything but darken the mood. Once again, he had spent the whole day looking for Bertholdt and there was still no sign of their lanky comrade.

Reiner had scoured all of the back part of Trost twice. He was planning on going again for a third time, but he was on his feet all day and they were starting to get blisters. His ‘shoes’ had holes and the hard floor would leave cuts on his feet. He was tired, worried, and angry but he tried his best not to unload it on Annie. He was already in the short Warrior’s shit list and to yell at her only invited pain to his already hurting body.

Annie just rolled her eyes and sighed. “Where else could he possibly be? Did he get lost?” Reiner shrugged because he didn’t have an answer. It was unlike Bertholdt not to stick near one of them at all times. Bertholdt wasn’t one to stray from the group.

“I highly doubt it. He’s not a wanderer. If anything, I would think you would be the one who was lost, and we’d be the ones looking for you.” He felt the glare intensify and Reiner was regretting trying to joke about their predicament. It was his own fault though. Annie was one of those rare people who had no funny bone and had a frown basically stuck on her face. “Anyways, we will continue looking for him. He has to be around here somewhere.”

Annie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and started heading towards the shelter they had been staying in. _Great. Another night sleeping next to the person who reeks of hate for you._ Reiner sighed and followed. His worry was continuing to grow and the scenario of him being taken was blossoming into a real possibility every minute. He really hoped that it wasn’t the case. They had already lost Marcel and they couldn’t afford to lose Bertholdt. They were the top Warriors and as strong as Annie was, success would be close to nil if they lost Bertholdt.

 _What if he ran off with a girl?_ Reiner couldn’t help but smile and tried not to laugh. The mere thought of shy and flustered Bertholdt running off with anyone that wasn’t Annie was hilarious. All Bertholdt would dream about (besides nightmares) would be the short blonde Warrior and them running off in the sunset and making out in a tree. The idea of someone else replacing her was ridiculous. In his tall friend’s mind, no one was as beautiful as her. Reiner could not see it, but he just took his word for it.

They arrived at the shelter and found an unusual tent parked in front of the entrance. From what Reiner could see, it looked like a doctor’s tent and there seemed to be many medical supplies and assistants running around to help people in need. He looked closer and found that many of the shelterfolk were getting treated and tested. At least the Paradis-Eldians took care of their own.

The doctors urged them to come to have an exam before they were allowed into the shelter. It was annoying but Reiner and Annie didn’t mind. The doctor was having a look at Reiner’s blistered feet while Annie sat on the side. In the middle of the doctor’s lecture of keeping Reiner’s health in mind, he was interrupted by a small black-haired girl.

“Dad. The Yaeger patient is back. Apparently he was roughed up by the soldiers again.”

The doctor just sighed. “When will that boy learn to stop pissing off the soldiers by calling them names? I have enough people as it is.” The doctor rose and placed a shoulder on his daughter. “Margaret, get this boy a bucket of water and have him place his feet into it. That will ease the pain on his feet for a while until I get him some actual medicine. How bad is Eren today?” The girl named Margaret just scratched her neck while whispering _Uhhhh._ “Great. Sorry Reiner but I have to take care of a……spirited child. I’ll be back. If you need anything, my helpful daughter Margaret will assist you.” The doctor took his leave while the daughter went to get water for Reiner. _Huh. Not too bad looking_.

The two warriors sat in silence with Bertholdt’s whereabouts both on their minds. Surprisingly, it was Annie who broke the silence. “Do you think…” Annie paused, her eyes not leaving the ground, “Do you think he abandoned us and went back home? Or just ran away?” Reiner noticed that she said the last question a little quieter than the last. He wondered if Annie knew something because she could swear that he saw a hint of remorse on her face.

_Maybe she does have feelings for Bert. Well, at least maybe an inkling of it._

Returning to the question, Reiner turned on his chair and looked at her. “Of course not. He would never do that. If there is anything our friend is, he’s loyal and has our backs no matter what. I would say that his…um, recent actions…have proved that. We can’t give up on him. At least I’m not.” Reiner had to admit the last part was a little rude, but he also threw it out as bait. If she bit harshly, he knew there were more feelings under that scary mask she wore. If not, he would conclude that she was out for herself and had no feelings towards Bertholdt or really anyone.

She rose her head but the regular Annie face was plastered on her face, but it didn’t present any anger or worry. Out of all the options, this was the least helpful.

After a few minutes of more silence, Margaret walked back in with a bucket of water. She told Reiner to place his feet in the cold water. He obeyed and after a while, she was cleaning his feet of blood and scabs. It wasn’t necessary since his healing factor kicked in to fix any small wound, but he didn’t mind having his feet cleaned and somewhat massaged.

After she was done, she gave Reiner some herbs and forced him to eat them. They were disgusting and he supposed that they were for his feet. Once she said it was okay, Reiner stood from his seat. Reiner cracked his toe knuckles and felt his feet were in better shape. “Thanks ma’am. My feet feel so much better.” He reached out to offer a handshake which she took with slight unease. She picked up the bucket and went to pick up the rest of her equipment. “Now I’m going to sleep early tonight so that way I have more energy to look for Bertholdt.”

Margaret’s bucket hit the ground as both Warriors looked at her to see shock in her face. She turned to them with a face of question. “Do you two know Bertholdt? Bertholdt Hoover?”

Reiner and Annie looked at each other with a mix of surprise and hope. Reiner stood from his chair and slowly approached Margaret. “Yeah we know him. Do you know where he is?”

Reiner did not like the look of Margaret after he asked that question.

……

Ghazghkull and Gorbad stared at each other from across the great center of the Hut of Da Biggest. Both were angrily glaring at each other and neither of them seemed to want to make a move. Wurrzag stood next to the idol of the One Who Creates and was close to convincing himself to shock the two powerful Orks with his Waaagh Lightning and tell them to stop acting like incompetent whelps but that wasn’t going to help. They had to figure this out on their own. But if they were just going to stare at each other like this, both of them were going to get a strong thwack on the head.

It was Gorbad who broke the silence. “Alright Ghazghkull. Now be da time to be ‘onest wiff me. No lies or haff-truffs. Did yuz know about da boy and what power he ‘ad and hide it from me?”

Ghazghkull grunted but didn’t take his eyes off of him. He stepped a little closer to the center so he could a better look at his friend’s face. “Yes. I did know about da boy’z powerz. Dat be why I bought ‘im,”

Ghazghkull could hear the crunching of Gorbad’s fist and the hard clenching of his jaw. He followed Ghazghkull’s lead and started to inch closer to the center. “So ya knew and lied to me, ya mountain-brudda, zo many timez and chose not to tell me until he ‘az destroyed haff of ya stronghold?”

That question right there began to shove Ghazghkull towards the edge between honor and rage. “No no no. Yuz don’t get to ask me dat after ya fuckin’ crony unleashed ‘im on ma home. On our home. ON GRIMGOR’Z HOME. Yuz gave Orkimedes da power to do dis and because of yuz, many of the Goffs liez dead on da streets.” He started moving at a faster pace towards Gorbad.

Gorbad copied his movement and began to make his way toward the center. “Don’t try to make excuses Ghaz. Yuz shoulda told me right when ya bought ‘im so I could decide da next course of action.”

“I didn’t give ‘im to use because I figured some’ding like dis would ‘appen. Guess what? It did.”

“So yuz was gonna keep ‘im for yaself? To use against me and da Great Klanz?”

“No, I kept ‘im ‘ere to keep ‘im out of yuz and Orkimedes’z reach because I knew yuz two would torture ‘im for ‘iz power and he would go berserk. Because wheneva yuz see powa, ya zense of logic and ‘onor leaves ya.”

“Excuse me Warboss?”

“Dat’s right. Ya did it wheneva Grimgor turned into da Titan. Ya do it every time we get a new piece of humie or Skaven equipment. Ya even stared at Orkimedes’z fuckin’ lightning dat he drained from da Ork and da Titan. Yuz get drunk wiff powa easily and it be like dat be all ya dink about.”

“Zo know yuz call my leadership into question?”

The two large Orks were a few feet away from each other and both were sizing each other up. Both were angry and Wuzzrag could swear that Warlord Gorbad was reaching for Morglor the Mangler as Ghazghkull was readying his fists for a fight. This was definitely not looking good and seemed far from being solved.

“I be ztartin’ to dink dat leadership be nonexistent wiff ya. Acquiring _Gretchins_ , allowing Orkimedes to experiment wiff humies and Titans, allowing rivalries between klans and castes to spiral out of control, da _Gretchin_ massacre, da conversion of Big ‘Un Mountain into Orkimedes’z perzonal fortress of deff, and da constant wars against Armageddon. It’s like yuz ‘ave forgotten what bein’ Orky truly meanz.”

“We ‘ave to change Ghazghkull. Da world be changin’ and we ‘ave to change wiff it.”

“Not like dis. We can’t abandon our kultur and become some’ding wretched and barbaric like Grimgor feared.”

“I be doin’ dis for Grimgor. Once he and da One Who Creates zees da progress we be makin’, I will be granted da Greenskin Titan and lead da Orks in a new green age.”

“It not be about respect or ‘onor wiff yuz. Dat be a lie and yuz know dat. All yuz want is da Titan’s powa.”

“Zo I suppose ‘olding a powerful shifta boy against ya Warlord is not craving powa?”

“At least I didn’t let Orkimedes unleash destruction on ma home.”

“What? Yuz dink yuz be betta suited den me brudda?”

They were now only mere inches away from each other as they both expected a fight. Both were growling and not backing down, believing themselves to be in the right. Like two rocks pressing against each other.

“Maybe I be just realizin’ dat.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

With a slam of his Powerstick, Wurrzag sent an invisible force to send the two Orks against the hut’s walls. The force was so hard that the two Orks were lodged in the wall itself. They tried to leave but found that they could not escape the force that was holding them there.

“Listen you idiots and listen well. There has been hurt and lies on both sides. Ghazghkull did not tell Gorbad about the boy and Gorbad has allowed Orkimedes to pull off vile experiments on Orks. Now that it is all out in the open, maybe you two can figure out how to move on from this like a Warlord and Warboss should be doing. Not going at it like two squigs fighting over meat. Understand?”

Once the message got through to the two mountain brothers, Wurrzag released them and they faceplanted on the ground. As Ghazghkull returned to his feet, he looked back at the wall to see his and Gorbad’s dents they made in the wall. He had a habit of forgetting that Wurrzag was much more powerful than both of them respectively.

Ghazghkull then turned to face Gorbad and after a moment of thought, he held out his arm in an effort to reconsolidate their friendship. “Lizzen Gorbad, I’m sorry dat I kept it from yuz. I was worried dat Orkimedes would influence ya down da wrong paff. I didn’t dink I could trust ya and for dat I be sorry. Da destruction of my home is my fault.”

Gorbad looked at his Warboss and friend and after a moment as well, he grabbed Ghazghkull’s arm and they firmly squeezed and shook. “It not just be ya fault. Yuz be right. I ‘ave been too lenient wiff Orkimedes and let ‘im get powa ‘ungry wiffout ma oversight. I’m sorry for da pain I caused ya…our tribe.”

As they let go of each other, Gorbad turned to make his way towards the exit. He stopped and turned to face Ghazghkull again. “You are still ma Warboss, Ghazghkull. I will still take ya advice and yuz will still be ma sekund. But right now, I don’t trust ya at da moment. I won’t be seekin’ ya anytime zoon. Do what ya ‘ave to do to finish rebuildin’ ya ‘ome and den yuz and I will talk again. Deal?” Ghazghkull bowed his head in shame for a minute and then looked back up again and nodded. “Good. May the One Who Creates help yuz and ya tribe in dis tryin’ time.” He then turned and exited the hut.

Ghazghkull stood unmoving as he continued to look at the exit. Though half of him believed that he had been doing the right thing, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed. What Ghazghkull said was true, he didn’t trust his greatest ally with a groundbreaking secret and because of it his home and friendship with Gorbad was nearly destroyed. Both had potential to be fixed but one seemed easier to repair than the other.

“I’m sorry Wurrzag. You was right.”

Wurrzag approached the Warboss and stood by him. He wasn’t sure what he was doing behind the mask but Ghazghkull was pretty sure he had an eyebrow raised. “I usually am right. That comes with the mask. But what am I right about at this moment?”

“About every’ding. I should ‘ave lizzened to ya about Orkimedes and Gorbad. If I ‘ad taken up da role as Warlord, none of dis would ‘ave ‘appened. Now it seemz I be payin’ for dat mistake. In boff ma ‘onor and ma klan.” That was when Wurrzag thwacked him on the head. Ghazghkull was utterly confused especially after he was apologizing and admitting his mistake.

“That was what I have been trying to tell you imbecile. But I do forgive you. But all is not lost. The prophecy continues as I said before, He Who Wields the Lightning has an important role to play and the Warlord of Metal and Honor will be right alongside him. I still believe that is you Ghazghkull.”

Ghazghkull raised an eyebrow. “So I’z take it dat was ya powa dat lit up da Kolossal’s ‘ead wiff green light and protected ‘im from Orkimedes.” Wurrzag simply nodded and began walking to the exit with the Warboss in tow. “So where did Gorbad decide to send Bert’oldt after he was recovered? Surely dey just sent ‘im to a prison or some’ding?”

Wurrzag simply just continued to the exit. “Warboss, you are not going to like where our shifter friend is at the moment. But be assured that I have someone already on the way to help him out.”

……

Bertholdt was let out of his cell hours later and the Ork guards allowed him to roam the place. Already he was starting to miss the slave life he was forced into. Ork prisoners and gladiators populated the area and brawls were happening all over. He saw a few humans, but they were either tending to the Ork’s needs or being bullied by the Orks.

One such event was happening now in the middle of the floor. A human was given a heavy sword he could barely lift and was forced into a fight with a huge armored Ork. The Ork was unarmed but based on experience, a heavy punch from the green brutes was enough to kill you anyways. Other Orks were crowded around and mocking the human as they were making the others clean their weapons and armor.

The human swung the heavy sword at the Ork with clumsiness, but the Ork easily dodged it and smacked the human in the head sending him to the ground. The crowd laughed as the Ork leaned down and dangled a piece of meat over the human. He weakly grabbed at it which resulted in a hard kick in the ribs. The poor human was bleeding but was committed to getting the food and continued to try to reach it.

The fiasco went on for about an hour and the human was near death’s door. The Ork looked at his fellow greenies and raised his arms in anticipation. The Orks looked at each other and started stomping their feet and clapping their hands in a rhythm. The hurt human had a look of defeat on his face as the Ork walked over and turned him over on his back. He kneeled over him and raised his fists above his heads.

Unable to hold himself, Bertholdt started to make his way to the brawl. He never made it there because he was grabbed by someone; stopping him in his tracks. Surprised, he turned to see a boy about his age if not older than him having a firm grip on his arm. He shook his head clearly telling Bertholdt that the last thing he should do is get involved. He then turned to see the Ork smashing his fists against the human’s face. When he was done and got on his feet, there was no trace of the human’s head except a splattered gore pile. Bertholdt felt like he should have thrown up from the sight, but he found that he was getting used to seeing these terrible things; much to his regret. The Ork crowd departed and the other humans got to cleaning the place up of blood and the dead body.

Bertholdt wrestled his arm out of the older boy’s grip and turned to look at him with a little anger fuming from his face. “Why did you stop me? I could have done something to help that guy.”

The older boy just raised an eyebrow but kept his composure. “Okay. I should have let you, the new boy who has clearly never fought anyone in his life, go and tell off the biggest Ork gladiator here. Yeah, I bet that would have worked. Only difference is you’d be the corpse on the floor instead of him. Well, depending if the Ork didn’t finish off the one you tried to save. So then there would be two bodies. Would that have been a good plan?”

Bertholdt could clearly see the logic and didn’t have a counterattack for that. He wasn’t like Annie who could come up with sarcastic remarks and hurtful comments on the fly. Bertholdt just sighed and accepted defeat. “Why did you help me anyways? You don’t seem like the type to care about others.”

“Not too far off. I look out for myself here. But I figured you being the tall and fragile new guy shouldn’t already be killed in the first week. So, I thought a veteran would give the rookie a hand. You don’t have to thank me.” Clearly this person wore satire as his own armor, and it was starting to piss Bertholdt off. Like normal, Bertholdt held it in.

“Well you shouldn’t have. Maybe I deserve to be beaten to a pulp like that man just did. Maybe I’m a monster and you just saved it unknowingly.” That apparently humored the older boy as he started laughing. Hands on hips, he threw back his head and continued to laugh out loud.

This gave Bertholdt the opportunity to look at the older boy. He was taller than Bertholdt (about a neck’s length) and his figure was bulky and muscular. His stature could be very imposing if on the opposite end of his emotions and he kind of looked like Reiner at a certain angle. He had scars on his bare arms, blonde hair on his head, and had a weird looking tattoo on his shoulder. It seemed to be a picture of the world being devoured by a set of jaws. _Creepy._

The older boy was starting to recover from his laughing fit but continued to chuckle. “You. Monster. Hah hah. You have jokes noodleneck, I’ll give you that. But if you are a monster, then humanity would have beaten the Orks by now. Hell, humanity would have conquered the world outside the Walls if that were true.”

That got Bertholdt’s attention. He went to grab the boy’s shoulders, but it soon proved to be a grave mistake. He felt a hard fist right in his stomach and soon found himself held over the boy’s head. He was then launched into a pile of shoddy cleaning supplies. After he pushed the materials off of him, Bertholdt managed to return to his feet as the boy walked towards him. “Monster. Yeah right.”

“Listen you blonde brute. You know of the Walls? Of the Titans? Paradis Island?”

The older boy scoffed at the questions and rolled his eyes. “Never heard of this Paradis Island but I know of Titans and Wall Maria, Sina and all that shit. I used to live in the outskirts of Wall Rose.” Never before had Bertholdt heard anything that would make him excited.

“That’s awesome. How did you get here? Do you know of a way out?” The boy held out a hand to shush him. “Calm down longarms. I was teleported here via a strange portal or something. I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that I’m here wasting in an Ork death arena and that seems to be how my life is going to be now.”

 _Okay. Clearly of no help. Or maybe he is not telling me the whole truth. I can’t exactly force it out of him. I’ll just have to go along with it._ An idea then popped into Bertholdt’s head. Something that Briggs said before his…Bertholdt stopped himself, not wanting to think about that right now. “Is there an old man around here? I was told by a…a friend…that he was here, and he would be helpful in my efforts to get home.”

The boy scratched his chin in thought. “Yeah. I know of him. He’s on the other side of the prison area. He’s crazy but he’s the only old man I know that has survived here.”

“Great. Could you possibly lead me to him? I have to speak with him.” The boy then raised his hand again.

“Alright alright. I will whenever I feel like it. Damn, first you were a fucking storm cloud of dread and despair and now you’re as happy as a puppy.” With that, the boy turned to walk away but Bertholdt followed him. The boy sighed but he didn’t send him away.

Suddenly, Bertholdt charged in front of him stopping the boy in his tracks. “I don’t why I didn’t do this before but thank you for stopping me from doing something stupid. And my names Bertholdt Hoover. It’s…It’s good to meet you.” He held out his hand and offered it to the boy with a meek smile.

The boy smirked and smacked his hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. The force caused Bertholdt to yelp slightly and hold his shoulder. Once again, the boy laughed. “Alright sorry sorry.” He regained his jock-like composure and started walking. “The names Brady. Brady McFarland.”

……

It was night and the moon was high in the sky. Reiner and Annie waited behind the shelter so they could meet Margaret to learn about the supposed location of Bertholdt. Margaret did not want to say anything in front of the people, so she agreed to meet with him at night.

“Do you think she is coming?” Reiner looked at Annie after she asked. All Reiner could do was shrug but he sure hoped that the girl would come. She seemed like a good person and seemed willing to help anyone if they needed it. He was surprised by her. For years, he had heard that the Eldian Devils were cruel and evil but the girl who cleaned his feet and offered to help them find their friend was the direct opposite of the stereotype. He hoped that any other action the Warriors had to take didn’t cost her the chance to live.

After another hour of waiting, they were approached by Margaret and another boy. He had short hair and seemed to be the same height as Reiner. “I’m sorry about the wait. We had to be sure we weren’t followed.” Reiner and Annie looked at each other with worried looks. What had their comrade possibly gotten themselves into?

“It’s okay. We are just glad you came. May I ask why you brought company?” Normally, Reiner wouldn’t really care but the way it sounded; he didn’t seem to be eased by the fact there was another person here.

“It’s okay. He’s okay. This is Jerrod……my new boyfriend. He and I were with Bertholdt for the short time we knew him.” Jerrod led the group to some chairs behind the shelter. He pulled out a seat for Margaret and pushed it in when she sat down. He and the Warriors found their seats.

“So, what do you know?” said Annie wanting to get right down to business. Reiner was continuing to take note of the way Annie acted. He honestly had no idea what was going on in Annie’s mind but he dare not question it. He might not see his mother again if he did.

Jerrod placed a hand on Margaret’s as she breathed. “Well, Jerrod and I were snatched by this group of people who dealt in underworld slave trading. We were moved from Jinae to Trost with another named Marco. They then stopped here shortly after the fall of Shiganshina. They caught two other boys and lastly, they caught your friend. Supposedly, they tricked him thinking that they were hurt and Bertholdt rushed to help. He was then caught and was put with us.”

Reiner fought maintain control of his emotions as he was listening. Child Snatchers? Slave Traders? Maybe Eldia was full of devils after all and they probably deserved what the Warriors were giving them. However, the fact that Bertholdt rushed to help and was captured for it, that angered him more. Bertholdt was not always the helpful type but to be beaten and snatched for it, that was not okay.

“He was thrown in with us. He was badly hurt. The guy named Valmir made sure of that.” Reiner looked to see Annie tighten her grip on her arms. “We made sure he was okay. Then the kid Marco convinced us to come up with a plan. He and Bertholdt came up with one and we went through with it. We managed to escape to their horses, but Marco was caught by Valmir. He threatened to kill Marco but Bertholdt somehow managed to throw a knife at the evil man and hit him right in the eye. He saved Marco but…but there wasn’t enough time for all of us to escape.”

She looked down in sadness as Jerrod scotched closer to his girlfriend and placed his arm around her. He then took over the story. “Marco was too injured and even if we rode out, we had no idea if they had other horses to catch us. So Bertholdt decided to stay behind and create a diversion to lead the snatchers away. We protested but he said he was okay with it. He said he was an orphan and had no family. He convinced us to leave and he ran into the forest. That was the last time we saw him, and we weren’t chased.”

“He sacrificed his life for us and now he is probably in the hands of the Kabal.” Margaret began to tear up. Reiner and Annie took the time to take it all in. Bertholdt Hoover, the shy and silent Warrior, stepping up and risking his life to save these devils he should have cared less about. Because of his sacrifice, these children managed to return home and escape a life of slavery.

“Wait. What’s the Kabal?” Jerrod and Margaret looked at each other and Margaret began to tear up more, clearly holding herself together. This was really not a good sign. Jerrod turned to the Warriors.

“The Kabal is a very powerful underworld syndicate that thrives on raiding and slavery. They are comprised of the most dangerous slavers and assassins. Some say that members of the Kabal take extreme pleasure in their terrible actions. They are psychotic killers and any who dare get in their way aren’t ever seen again. No one knows where they take the captured people, but they aren’t seen again unless they are seen as servants for the elite in Wall Sina.”

Annie stood up and walked off, storming into the shelter. Reiner had the urge to run after her, but he was sure that he was the last person she wanted to see. Margaret started to cry and Jerrod held her tight. Reiner didn’t want to imagine what would have happened to them if Bertholdt wasn’t there to help them.

“Thank you for telling us. It is nice to hear that my friend did something to save others. We…We come from a village that had recently been destroyed by Titans. Me and Annie are also orphans and Bertholdt was with us when we escaped. I just hope he is okay.”

Reiner rose to return to the shelter but was stopped by Margaret. She hugged Reiner while still crying and then started to leave with her face in her hands. Jerrod shook Reiner’s hand. “I’m sorry about Bertholdt. I hope you do somehow manage to find him.” He then turned to walk after Margaret.

Reiner stood there not knowing what to do. His friend Bertholdt was possibly in the hands of supposedly the most dangerous people on Paradis Island. _What would Marcel do?_ He knew exactly what Marcel would do. He would use the time he had to look for Bertholdt and bring him to safety. He would look out for everyone and put his life on the line to make sure his friends were okay.

Reiner knew what he had to do. He would give the two a day before going back to question them. If he figured out where they were kept, it could possibly give him a clue of where Bertholdt was. When he found this Kabal, he was going to transform into the Armored Titan and smash every single one of them if they hurt his friend.

He was the Warriors’ leader now and if he was going to fill Marcel’s shoes, he had to start acting like it. He was going to do his best to find Bertholdt and he wasn’t going to give up on him. Just like Bertholdt never gave up on Reiner becoming a Warrior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Ironclaw Klan:  
> Formed by current Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw, Gorbad was originally a part of the Goffs Klan until he decided to set out on his own. After taming Krimson Killa and accomplishing other amazing feats, he formed a klan out of his followers and fighters. The Ironclaws quickly rose in power as the klan became a highly disciplined force to be reckoned with. From boy to Nob, the klan has an unbreakable spirit and would rather die than flee from battle. They are extremely loyal to their Warlord and Chief and will fanatically follow his orders with extreme prejudice.
> 
> Warlords and Warbosses:  
> When an Ork Waaagh is formed, it follows a powerful figure whose legend and power had united many tribes and klans to come together and forma mighty horde of Orks and war beasts. The Warlord is a menacing figure who is the biggest of all the organized horde and his command is law. However, the Warlord does not have the ability to be everywhere at once so they elect Warbosses as their seconds to loyally command the boys under the Warlord's banner. This hierarchy has maintained many Waaaghs for a long period of time and despite some Warbosses rebelling against the Warlord, this system has led to many devastating Waaaghs against the Skaven, Terrans, and even roaming hosts of madmen and demons from the Dark Continent.


	12. The Old Man of Black Crag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks to my girlfriend the AoT fan. She always makes sure that I keep the AoT facts right and also consistently beats me at Warhammer 40k Tabletop. I will beat you one day! As always, enjoy the chapter and feel free to leave comments and tips on how I can improve. Good Days and Good Nights.

Bertholdt found himself on his back huffing for breath. His vision was blurry, but he was quickly regaining his sight. He quickly turned to the axe he dropped and quickly rolled over and grabbed it. In a fluid motion, he returned to his feet and held his weapon in an aggressive stance. He then stared directly at the fighter that was Brady McFarland.

“Alright. Seems you do have some moves after all.” Brady chuckled as he twirled his axe in his right hand as he entered his stance as well. Bertholdt shook his head as the two began to circle each other. It had been a week (more or less as Bertholdt couldn’t seem to measure spans of time anymore) since he had arrived at Black Crag. Brady had agreed to take him to the Old Man Briggs mentioned to him back in Big ‘Un Mountain after much pestering from Bertholdt.

The one condition, Bertholdt would spar and train with Brady. It wasn’t because Brady was his new friend and had his interest at heart. It was so Brady didn’t have to watch out for Bertholdt every minute of the day.

Bertholdt had observed Brady and he had to admit that Brady was a strange character. He was strong and physically powerful. He could lift heavy objects with ease and his build was really imposing if you were his enemy. He was a strong fighter who struck hard and fast, often in the most brutal ways. Bertholdt understood that since they were surrounded by Orks and the only way to beat any of them was to be more brutal than they were.

Besides being a fighter, Bertholdt noticed other things about him. His body was decorated with scars as if he had been in a war himself. Besides the tattoo he called World Eater, (the tattoo of jaws surrounding a planet) he had other tattoos such as an Ork skull, two axes under a skeleton like a pirate flag, and a single name; Cara. Bertholdt wanted to ask who she was but he figured he wasn’t in the friend area with Brady yet so he kept his mouth shut.

When he was comfortable, he became a good person to be around. His humor was dry and his character was similar to Porco but he meant no ill-will towards Bertholdt like Porco did to Reiner. He was always happy to let Bertholdt stick close to him but Bertholdt often felt he forced himself on Brady. There were times when Brady didn’t seem like he was all the way there but at the end of the day, Bertholdt considered him a good person.

“Why are we doing this again?” Bertholdt asked as he dodged out of the way of Brady’s charge and slices. Bertholdt’s agility was able to keep him away from Brady’s swings but not by much. Bertholdt didn’t know much about his new acquaintance but he could tell from his moves and fighting style that Brady knew how to fight. _Not as good as Annie_ , Bertholdt thought as he blocked a hard strike with his axe, _but damn near close enough to be._

The hard strike sent Bertholdt stumbling to his left but Bertholdt didn’t process Brady’s true plan. He turned to see Brady’s left fist hit Bertholdt’s exposed side, shooting pain straight through him. Brady then resumed his attack with his axe swinging downward and smacking the opposing weapon out of Bertholdt’s weakening grip. Brady reversed his downward strike and aimed for Bertholdt’s exposed legs. He swiped Bertholdt off his feet and landed on the ground. Before Bertholdt could get up he felt a force that he could only describe as an Ork body slam him to the ground. All the breath left Bertholdt as lay there deflated of air.

Brady returned to his feet and cracked his knuckles. “The reason we are doing this noodleneck; is because I don’t want to constantly watch out for you. Every day you stick to me like grease on a pan. You never leave my side.” He reached his hand out to a coughing Bertholdt, who gladly took it. Bertholdt was on his feet again as Brady placed his axe arm on his shoulder. “I want you to be able to go off on your own. You can’t glue yourself to me forever. You’re a good guy and fun to spar with, but I am not your bodyguard.”

Brady released his grip on the stunned Warrior as he went to grab water from his leaky bucket. Bertholdt just stood there in thought. _Am I really like that? I know I have no will of my own, but do I stick to people that much?_ He thought about himself and Reiner. Reiner was his comrade and possible friend, so he stuck close to him and followed through with whatever he said. Through some short examination, Bertholdt could see Brady’s point. He couldn’t defend himself. More rather, he didn’t have the will to defend himself so he would be close to someone like Reiner or Brady who had the will to defend Bertholdt for him.

_I never thought of it that way before._

“Yo noodleneck. You want some water or should I leave you to resume your drooling?” Bertholdt immediately felt self-conscious and started wiping his chin and mouth to find that he was in fact not drooling. The blonde fighter chuckled again as he continued to drink his water. Bertholdt huffed with annoyance as he went over and accepted Brady’s offer. “Could you stop calling me that? I don’t like that name.”

“Clearly. But if you want me to stop calling you that, you’re going to have to do something about it. So are you?” His words didn’t come off as a challenge but more of a question. Brady was giving him a chance to defend himself and act on his own accord. For a minute, Bertholdt considered doing it.

Then he remembered the other times he acted on his own. He went to save a wounded man only for it to be a trap and snatched by Valmir. He led the snatchers away from the other escaping children only to be brought to this hell. He infiltrated Big ‘Un Mountain only to be captured and have Briggs transform into a Titan.

It was his own decision to transform into the Colossal and utterly destroy Ghazghkull’s home after he did his best to care and protect Bertholdt.

With that in mind, the idea retreated far back into Bertholdt’s mind. When he sighed and continued to drink, Brady just snorted. “That’s what I thought.” Brady then turned to exit his cell. Bertholdt’s anger was slightly touched and was being to grow. Normally he would say nothing, but he was not going to let this go. He finished drinking the rest of the water and raced after him before he left.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He reached out a hand to stop Brady, but he found himself grabbed by his clothes and lifted off the ground and pushed against the wall. Bertholdt gulped but managed to keep his mental state where it was.

“What I meant was you have no will. No drive. No confidence in yourself. All I see in you is fear and self-loathing. The fact that you managed to survive this long astounds me.”

“Well maybe there is more to me than you know.”

“Like what? Tell me what more is there to you that I don’t see? You are frail, lanky, and unwilling to act on your own.”

“I am a Warrior. I was picked to be one.”

“Okay then noodleneck? Then tell me why they picked you to be a Warrior?”

“Because I was the best marksman they had ever seen. I could reload and fire a weapon in seconds. I could shoot bullseyes easily and I could hit people from kilometers away before they even knew I was there.”

“So you can shoot? Fantastic. Can any of those skills help you out of this situation right now?”

“I…”

“Exactly. That’s not a Warrior, that’s a Sniper. People who hide far away to shoot Warriors so they don’t engage in combat. So I ask again, why the hell did whoever was in charge pick you to be a Warrior?”

Bertholdt looked down to the ground. _Your seemingly nonviolent personality is what befits you to be the perfect candidate._

“My caution and fear made me…”

“Don’t stop now. Your caution and fear made you…”

“…”

“Noodleneck?”

“…My…?”

“Dammit noodleneck. Just speak!”

“ME BEING SCARED ALL THE TIME MADE ME A WARRIOR OKAY? I’M THE WARRIOR WHO SOUGHT CAUTION TO STEER THE OTHERS AWAY FROM A FIGHT! THAT’S WHY THEY MADE ME A WARRIOR!”

“OKAY THEN. TELL ME WHAT A WARRIOR IS THEN? ARE THEY LIKE YOU? A SCARED CHILD WHO HAS NO WILL OF HIS OWN WHO TUCKS HIS COCK BETWEEN HIS LEGS AND RUNS? IS THAT WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDER A WARRIOR? A COWARD LIKE YOU?”

Bertholdt couldn’t think of anything to say after that. The cell was then filled with silence as neither prisoner said anything after that.

Brady dropped Bertholdt as he slid down to slump against the wall. Tears were starting to form in Bertholdt’s eyes as Brady leaned down to kneel on one knee. “Look noodle…Bertholdt. I don’t know what you mean by Warriors or whatever business that is. But I can tell that there are two sides of you; the Warrior and Bertholdt. You are going to have to make a tough call and choose which one you are. Because by the looks of it, you can’t be both.”

Brady then rose to his feet and exited his cell. Bertholdt didn’t run after him but instead stood there crying quietly. He tucked his feet towards his chest as he buried his head remembering one simple statement that still haunted him.

_That’s what you are. A dog who doesn’t want to disobey his master and because of that, I’m probably never going to make it home because you’re a damn coward._

……

That was the last thing she had said to him.

Annie leaned back and chewed on a potato Margaret had given her. At the moment, Reiner and Jerrod were out doing chores for a local farmer so they could get permission to borrow his horses to locate where the snatchers held Margaret and Jerrod. And Bertholdt.

Reiner had stayed in the shelter for two whole days regaining his strength from his many journeys and searches around Trost and felt he needed it. His dumbass logic was that he would need his strength to fight off Bertholdt’s captors. Of course, she thought this was a bad idea. The blonde boy couldn’t even fight and was easily taken down during training. She and Marcel would easily beat him as well as Porco; who really had it in for Reiner. Even Pieck managed to beat Reiner once or twice. The only person he really ever beat was Bertholdt and he didn’t even try to put up a fight. It just wasn’t in his nature.

She continued to think back to her training. She was always off on her own and her image was so imposing that other kids got the message to stay away from her. Did she have an inkling of a desire to feel what a normal girl would be like? Occasionally but that desire was quickly pushed aside to be a Warrior like her father wanted her to be. Well, adopted father wanted her to be.

She never truly understood how she felt towards her ‘father.’ He always said that she was the making of her adulterous mother and her Eldian lover. Her blood test revealed this, and she was taken to the internment zone in Liberio. It was there that August Leonhardt adopted her and took her under his wing. However, that wing did not turn out a good place to be.

Everyday, he would get her up at the earliest shining of the sun and trained her in a fucked-up fashion. She was worked to the bone and she went to bed with bruises and aching muscles. She ate very little because he would limit her eating for about half an hour each meal and she would then resume training right after. If she showed the slightest pleasure in anything, he would make sure it never brought her joy again.

On most nights she would cry herself to sleep. Whenever she would sleep, she would dream of what her real parents would be like and think about what her life could have been if they had just loved her instead of just abandoning her on the streets. She wouldn’t be living this nightmare if it wasn’t for her parents up and discarding her like trash. She could have been born a Marleyan and living a normal life. However, fate was cruel, and she had to pay the price for it by living.

The man she called her father continued to drill the little girl who knew nothing about what was going on for years. Learning combat techniques he said he had learned overseas, Annie became a strong, flexible, and vicious fighter who could beat anyone who came at her. She was forced to learn all of this so her adopted father good live like a wealthy true Marleyan.

For a long time, she had hated that man and all that he did to her. But when she signed up for Warrior Training, she found it surprisingly easier than she thought. Maybe it was hell for others but the brutal environment she grew up in hardened her and easily won her spot as the Female Titan. She was feared but was also respected by many of the kids there. Some even tried to approach her and get to know her, but she would just push them away. She wasn’t there to make friends; she was there to be a Warrior.

Then it came time to depart on her mission to infiltrate Paradis Island for something couldn’t give a shit about. When she was assigned along with Bertholdt, Reiner, and Marcel, they were paraded through the streets like heroes. She hated it while the boys basked in the glory, though she was sure Bertholdt was faking it. But when it came time to say goodbye to her father, the environment was different.

He told her that he was having regrets and believed that he was wrong about the way he raised her. He then told her that no matter what, even if the world was her enemy and everyone hated her, he would always be on her side. All he asked was that she would come back home. That was when he hugged her. For the first time in her entire life, she had been embraced by the man she was adopted by. It still confused her to this day.

Then she came back to her situation. Reiner had basically threatened them to continue this suicidal mission to retrieve the Coordinate, perhaps the most powerful being in existence, and bring it the Marleyans so they could play god. She could have fought him off, but she was taken by surprise. That was when Bertholdt conceded to Reiner and agreed to go through with the mission.

Of course, she was angry at his decision but in retrospect, it really wasn’t his fault. If anything, it was Marley’s fault for training kids to wield unimaginable powers and send them to their deaths on Paradis to obtain a more powerful being. However, it was also Reiner’s fault for them being here now. He wasn’t even supposed to be a Warrior in the first place. If Porco were here, he would have saved his brother instead of standing there like a petrified child.

But alas, Marcel made Reiner a Warrior to protect him and because of that, he would never see his brother again. She did not want that to be the case for her.

But now another comrade was gone and there was a high possibility that he was already dead as well. Normally, she wouldn’t have cared but deep inside there was a little shade of guilt within her. If she hadn’t exploded on him, he would be right here watching out for the two of them.

_Why couldn’t it have Reiner missing instead of Bertholdt? At least with him I feel somewhat comfortable. With just Reiner, it’s like pulling teeth._

She then heard footsteps and turned to see Margaret walking towards her. “Hey, the boys are finishing up the chores. The owner is said you two could stay the night. Jerrod and I are going to head back to the shelter soon, but we promise to be back here to help.” Annie just nodded and set the back of her head on the tree she was leaning on. Margaret must have known she wasn’t going to get anything out of Annie so she turned and left.

“Wait.” Margaret stopped and turned to look at the unreadable Warrior. “Why are you helping us? You got away. Shouldn’t you be happy and not be risking it to find someone you don’t even know?”

Margaret looked down at her feet and started to fidget with her dress. She didn’t say anything for a while but then she started in a mumble. “He did it for us.”

Annie only raised in eyebrow. Margaret then looked up with more confidence in her voice. “He did it for us. He didn’t need to do it. He didn’t have to help us escape. He didn’t have to save Marco. He didn’t have to lead them away for us to escape. But he did it anyways.” Annie was actually surprised by her sudden answer. Her lips slightly parted as Margaret continued with her answer. “You’re right. I may not have known him for more than a day, but he saved us. Based on what Bertholdt did for us, I’m sure that he would have done it for you and Reiner or anyone else. That seems to be the guy that he is.” She started to move closer to Annie and Annie was getting ready for a strike even though she figured Margaret wasn’t that type of person. But she never could be sure of anything. “Bertholdt seems like the guy who would do anything to save his friends, loved ones, or complete strangers. Dammit that’s how he was caught. I bet he would break down the Wall himself if he had to save someone he cared about. So I intend to at least try and return the favor.”

She turned and walked back to the farm leaving Annie completely stunned and speechless.

……

Bertholdt kept his head down as he made his way past both Ork and human prisoners. He was on his way to meet Brady at their usual meeting place. Of course, Bertholdt would have usually been with Brady at this time but he hadn’t seen Brady since their ‘exchange of words’ and Bertholdt didn’t really feel like seeing him for a while.

The argument really hit Bertholdt hard. Not due to Brady saying harsh words and belittling him, but it was because it was true. Since he had arrived on Hellworld, he felt less and less like a Warrior. He had been captured on multiple occasions, had made the wrong calls which led to said capture, and getting potential allies and friends killed. Briggs was a primary example. If Bertholdt had just escaped and fulfilled his promise, he probably would still be alive right now, keeping others safe in Orkimedes’s tyrannical domain. He also wouldn’t have gone berserk and killed so many Orks who were only defending their homes.

The only possible thing that Bertholdt done that made him feel like a Warrior was saving the girl who had just lost her parents. He remembered during the heat of the moment that he considered leaving but a flashback of Marcel’s death urged him to act. He had saved that girl and if he could guess, she was still in Ghazghkull’s hut. Or maybe she ran when she saw the Colossal terrorizing the place.

He entered a large circular part of the prison and sat down on a discarded log that rested in the middle of the room. He watched groups of Orks walk by, some brawls break out, and other humans dodging the battle-craving greenskins. He was beginning to wonder if Brady was ever going to show up. Maybe he wasn’t going to show because Bertholdt pissed him off. Even though Bertholdt believed he was the actual victim of the argument. Brady was sure as hell not the one who was verbally ripped to shreds.

While he waited Bertholdt couldn’t stop thinking about the surreal dream he had. He kept telling himself it was a dream, but his mind and gut kept telling him that it was anything but. It felt alive and the emotions he had during it were anything but fake. The Colossal Titan looking for him, the strange anvil, the statues of Ymir’s Titans, the four strange humanoid figures, and the chained girl floating in the middle of what looked like a huge electric tree, it couldn’t have been more bizarre. Still Bertholdt felt that he had actually experienced it. The parts that really convinced him were near then end of the dream. Marcel’s confrontation felt so real, as if he was actually talking to him.

“ _The Time of Ending is coming Bertholdt. You must act or else he will claim the world and us all._ ” What the hell does it all mean? Time of Ending was what Marcel said. Was that another way of saying the apocalypse? That was what the Warriors believed they were stopping when they were sent on this mission. They were told by the Tybur Family that at any moment, the Coordinate could activate what they referred to as a ‘Great Rumbling’ and would destroy all life as they knew it. That was the end of the world by itself. But Bertholdt felt that that scenario was not what Marcel’s ‘spirit’ was referring to at all. But what then was he referring to?

That brought him to the next convincing piece of evidence. When Marcel left, Bertholdt was cornered by extremely hot flames that looked like they could burn his very soul. The temperature was out of whack, the background was becoming distorted, and he felt a huge mix of emotions that he felt wasn’t him at all. Rage, anger, deceitfulness, and sadistic enjoyment washed over him like a huge tidal wave. He did not like it at all.

That was when the monster peered through the hellish flames. Bertholdt had never felt such fear before. It wasn’t like regular nightmares that made him hide under his covers and keep the light on to try to make himself sleep more securely. No, what Bertholdt felt was nothing more than utter terror like he had never felt before. He then started to feel himself sweat nonstop as he began to uncontrollably shiver at the reimagination of the feeling.

That was until he felt the cold water drench his entire head. Bertholdt jumped and landed on the ground reacting in what he would describe as a fish on the surface. After he finally calmed down, he could make out Brady’s image holding a bucket of water.

“Argh. I’m getting tired of everyone pouring water on me when I’m asleep or in thought? Seriously, why does everyone do that to me?”

Brady only raised his eyebrow and smirked. “Well maybe you should stay out of dreamland more often. Just a suggestion.” His dry humor received a large eye roll from Bertholdt as he wiped his face off with his ripped shirt.

After Brady had stopped laughing and Bertholdt felt dry, Brady gave him the rest of the water in the bucket. They sat down on the discarded log together and sat in a moment of silence, neither really wanting to talk to the other. It was awkward but still neither spoke. It was clear Brady was not going to apologize for the way he acted. (Even though he was right, but Bertholdt was not going to let him know that)

Something then caught Bertholdt’s eye that made him forget the awkward position they were in. On the edge of the room, stood a large door with its sides decorated with skulls of Orks, humans, Trolls, and other creatures that Bertholdt could not make out. He then looked above the door to see something he recognized.

It was the helmet the red-armored warrior wore in the arena the day Bertholdt woke up here. Suddenly, the memory of what Ork blood tasted like filled his mouth like a bad aftertaste. Brady raised an eyebrow at his friend/acquaintance and then looked to see what he was looking at. “Noodleneck, what’s wrong? You seeing a ghost?” He then started waving his hand in front of Bertholdt’s face and snapping in his ears too. Bertholdt then annoyingly batted it away.

“Brady. Who…uh…lives behind that d-d-door?”

Brady then looked at the grotesquely decorated door and only nodded. “Oh. That would be the domain of Kharn. He is the most feared gladiator here. Even the Orks fear him. He alone has killed beasts that were once thought to be unkillable, Orks who thought they were unbeatable, and people who were thrown at him as the greatest punishment.”

Bertholdt gulped as he remembered the savage way the man killed the Ork. People were forced to fight him as a punishment? That must be the ultimate punishment that one could face in Black Crag. Bertholdt made a huge mental note not to piss off the bosses of Black Crag. There was no way he could warn Armageddon and find a way to return to Reiner and Annie if he had to face that scary berserker.

“Relax, he isn’t in there right now. He’s…out probably releasing his anger somewhere on someone unlucky.”

Bertholdt turned to Brady with a questioning look yet still had traces of fear. “How…How do you know he’s not in there?”

Brady then began to scratch his neck nervously. “I’m uh…well…let’s just…ah…say that I get him ready for his deathmatch. It’s not a good job to have.”

Bertholdt could only imagine. Berhtoldt then found himself not wanting to imagine that.

“But how do you…”

“Trust me noodleneck. He is not in there.”

Brady then started to scratch the back of his head as if he was trying to calm himself down. It was pretty weird to Bertholdt but he figured he was also scared of Kharn. “Sorry Brady. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Bertholdt retreated as he felt some serious anger coming off of Brady. Brady shook his head and placed a gentle hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. “Sorry noodleneck. Thinking about that bastard doesn’t really make me think straight or act calm.”

Bertholdt raised his hands and just shook his head. “It’s okay Brady. I…I get what you mean. He must be that scary if he makes you scared. You’re the toughest guy I know. I guess he’s the only thing you fear huh?”

Brady stopped scratching his head and lowered his hand into his lap. “Yeah, you have no idea.”

……

SNAP!

The two Orks guarding the entrance to the Black Crag arena turned to hear the snapping of a twig and quickly pointed their shootas at the tall grass. Both Orks looked at each other not knowing what they heard. The Orks started to speculate of what it could have been. A Squig? A drunk Ork? A _Gretchin_? One of the Orks speculated that it could be a Skaven spy. The other just rolled its eyes at the suggestion.

They then heard more rustling in the tall grass. The Orks were starting to get concerned. They hollered and another bigger Ork walked towards them. The Orks must have guessed that he was taking a nap and the Nob was clearly angry. The Orks explained the circumstances to their boss and both received thumps on the head. The Nob did not like being woken up for cowardice. He angrily pushed the two Orks forward and motioned them to check out the grass.

The Orks clearly did not like the situation and looked at their boss pleadingly but received no such luck. The Big ‘Un raised his fist in warning, which was all the Orks needed for motivation. Both turned and made their way to the grass. Both looked at each other before slowly making their way into the tall grass.

The Orks were just tall enough to see across the top of the overgrown grass. Normally, the _Gretchins_ would have been out and about cutting them down to a nice small size but since the Warlord’s decree to give up the slaves to Orkimedes, chores that were usually done by _Gretchins_ came to an absolute halt. Plus, the Orks were too lazy to do it themselves. They were still happy that they could still see each other.

SNAP!

Both quickly turned to the direction the loud noise came from. Both started shaking but one of them snapped out of the mindset and went to check it out. He took slow steps until he reached an area with two broken twigs. The Ork raised his eyebrow, not knowing what to think. Sighing of relief, he turned to wander back to the other Ork. His foot then hit something and looked down. In front of him was the other Ork patrolling with him, with a slit throat and eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Before the Ork could shout, he felt a sharp blade pierce the back of his foot causing him to collapse. He shot some bullets into the air before the shoota was knocked out of his hand and felt a knife slash across his throat.

The Nob reacted to the shots and quickly grabbed his Big Shoota (an Ork machine gun) and pointed it at the grass. Unlike his boys, he wasn’t scared; he was just angry. Not wasting anytime, he unloaded his Big Shoota at the grass. He sprayed bullets across the quiet field in hopes of hitting whatever was out there. If he hit his boys, oops but whatever. There were plenty more around for him to boss around.

After a good few minutes, his Big Shoota overheated and the Nob lowered it with a satisfied grin on his face. It was always nice to unleash your anger in the form of shooting. He then turned to make his way through the entrance, but something caught his eye. On the ground was a shadow of the entrance’s arch above the gate. What didn’t make sense was that there was movement in the shadow. The Nob looked up to see nothing but black fall straight towards him.

The knife lodged deeply into the Nob’s skull and into his brain. He didn’t say anything and after he puffed his last breath, fell on his back with a thud. The black-robed figure stepped off the Nob’s body and then walked over to the Nob’s head. The figure grabbed the knife with both hands and placed a foot on the Nob’s head and began to pull. The knife finally came out, causing the figure to fall backwards, put quickly maneuvered to stay vertical.

The figure sighed and placed the knife in the robe. The figure then grabbed the big Nob and began to slowly drag the Ork into the tall grass with his dead brethren. Hopefully, the Squigs would come out at night and eat the evidence of the figure’s activities.

The figure then ran through the entrance and entered the arena. The figure hid behind a large pillar and surveyed the arena. It was empty right now except for the corpses of the latest dead gladiators and prisoners. The figure did not like the sight.

_I hope this plan of yours works Wurrzag._

With that, the figure disappeared into the shadows.

……

Bertholdt followed Brady closely through the narrowing corridors. After the boys left the log, Brady said that if Bertholdt wanted he could take him to the Old Man. Bertholdt immediately said yes and Brady wasted no time in taking him through the dreary corridors of the underground prison.

According to Brady, the underground prison held the most violent and insane prisoners that ever came to Black Crag. They were rarely ever released, and he said it was mostly how Ork chiefs and Warbosses hid their rivals and enemies until they become no more than savages. As they made their way through, Bertholdt stuck close to Brady. The halls were filled with hoots, chants, barks, and shouts. Bertholdt looked straight at the back of Brady’s head; not wanting to look at what animals were in their cages. He risked a look and saw naked Orks and humans pressed against the bars shouting and reaching at the two boys. Bertholdt could tell these people no longer had a mind. He was starting to think this wasn’t really a good idea.

They then arrived at the end of the hall to find some scrap metal doors bolted shut. Brady went to the one at the very end of the hallway and knocked on the door. It didn’t open but Brady persisted and continued to knock. The door was then opened to find a young woman in the way. Bertholdt quickly observed the female. She was tall and had dark flowing hair. Bertholdt had to admit she looked beautiful. He also noticed some cloth stuffed in her ears; probably to shut out the animalistic noises of the savages. “What do you want?”

“Hey. My name is Brady. This is my……my cellmate Bertholdt. He has heard a little rumor of an Old Man who has some answers to some very complicated questions. We were hoping to see if he had the time.”

The woman glared at the boys. “No. He is not taking any time for you. Go away.” She tried to slam the door, but Brady caught it and easily forced it halfway open again. “I said go away shitheads. This will only make him worse for the day. Probably a week.”

Brady clearly was not up for compromising and opened the door all the way open. “Listen lady. I don’t really want to be here, and I don’t want to have to trek down here along with my frail maiden to see if he is ready.” An insulted Bertholdt glared at Brady, but of course Brady didn’t care. “So I will restate my previous statement. We were hoping to see if he had the time. I don’t believe he is doing anything much these days so maybe he could make time.”

“Don’t make me call the guards.”

“As if they’d hear you and care?”

“BRADY!” Bertholdt yelled at him. “Listen ma’am…I…I come from the same place he…he is fr-from. All I have are some questions to…to…to ask him. Could you please just give me a few minutes with him? I……I have to get answers. Then we will be out of here for good. Please ma’am?”

The lady looked at the tall boy and was clearly deep in thought. After a while, she showed a small smile and nodded. “But the beefhead stays out. One crack of an open door and I will throw you out. Agreed?” Bertholdt nodded and looked at Brady in a little manner of pleading. Brady snorted and let go of the door. “Fine. I’ll be out here.”

Bertholdt mouthed his thanks to Brady and turned to the woman. She brushed some dust off of her clothes and motioned for Bertholdt to come in. After he entered, the woman closed the door.

The first thing Bertholdt saw was an old man rocking himself like a scared child. The man had a scruffy beard, hair that looked like a rat’s nest, and was shorter than the average person. The term dwarf came to mind but Bertholdt did not want to call him that. The man was also very skinny as if he starved himself. He was muttering under his breath as he continued to rock back and forth.

Bertholdt looked at the woman. “Is…is he okay?” The woman shook her head and a sadness filled her eyes. “I don’t know much about the man. When he arrived, he was very much a wreck. The Orks assigned me to him to make sure he is fed and cleaned daily. The man is a fighter but that really is all he can do. It’s sad. I’m sure this man had a lot of potential.”

Bertholdt looked back at the Old Man. Now all he wanted to do was leave but an aching feeling washed over him. _You can’t be serious. Walking away would only damn us to this hell forever. We are stronger than this._

It was the little devil in him speaking that. The voices in his continued to mock him and by now, it was getting frighteningly to familiar. Sometimes though, they would sound the same; which was what he was afraid of.

Bertholdt inched closer and sat down across from the cradled man. “Hi…my name is Bertholdt Hoover. A good friend……told me about you. I was wondering if you could answer some questions.”

The man looked at him with what looked like fear and terror. He stopped rocking and started to crawl backwards like he was trying to avoid an angry beast.

“Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86.”

Bertholdt was shocked. This guy was laying out everything for him. So Briggs was right. The Old Man, or Garrett, was from the other world. He felt relief wash over him. He could finally get answers about what is happening and how he got here. If he knew how he got here, then he would be a step closer to figuring out how to get back.

“Listen to me. I am from the same place you are Mr. Jacobs. If you can help me, we can help each other find a way home. So please tell me how you got here if you can?”

Garrett continued to back away; this time a little faster until he hit the wall. “Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86.”

Bertholdt cocked his head in confusion. Number? Group?

“Sir, I’m not interrogating you. I just need your help.”

“Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86.”

“W-W-What are you telling me? Is it code?”

“Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86.”

He was huddled in a corner now, covering his ears and repeating the damn line over and over again. The more Bertholdt spoke and asked questions, the louder and more scared he would get.

“Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86. Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86. Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86. Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the…”

Bertholdt backed away and turned towards the woman who was actually shedding a tear. Bertholdt could tell that she was crying for the man. “What happened to him? He seems…broken?”

The woman only sighed and pushed Bertholdt farther away from the Old Man. “I don’t know Bertholdt. Like I said, they brought him like this. The Orks came in with a fresh catch of slaves but he was separated from them because they thought he was too dangerous. So they put him down here to rot and fight their fights while he starved and continued to go mad. What you hear him saying now is all he ever says.”

Bertholdt looked back at the man with heartbreak. The Old Man he saw before him was nothing more than a broken man. At one time, he was one of the Scouts from Paradis who fought Titans and preserved the Eldians’ ‘hope.’ Now, he was a mumbling mess that would probably never get fixed.

“Is…Is there any other way to communicate with him? Does he know other ways of talking?” His heart fell when she shook her head. Bertholdt just leaned against the wall and slumped. All of this was for nothing. The only source of help wasn’t even human anymore. He started to cry. He had failed his secret promise to Annie and Reiner to get them home. He failed Briggs to warn Armageddon. He failed Ghazghkull in controlling his powers and trusting him.

Bertholdt was feeling like a complete failure. What Brady said to him before started ringing in his head. He was a failure; like he always knew he was.

He covered his eyes with his hands as he cried. Seeing this broken man and thinking of his failures was only a combination for sadness. The woman leaned over and hugged him. “I am so sorry. I know there may be nothing I can say to help you feel better.” Bertholdt clung to the woman and hugged her back. It felt good and it was relaxing.

When he opened his eyes, Bertholdt noticed something on the wall. He couldn’t make it out, but it didn’t seem anything like a crack in the walls. The woman released him and helped him up as Bertholdt wiped the tears from his eyes. He then walked over to the thing on the wall. It looked like a word but he could barely make it out. So instead, he pressed his hands against the wall to feel it. “P…R…O…S…P…E…R…O.” He repeated the process to make sure he read it right. “Prospero.” He said silently. _That has to be a clue. It must mean something_.

He then walked over to Garrett who was still muttering his line. “Garrett. I know you will probably not say anything, but I am going to try.” Garrett looked up. He said his line but Bertholdt could see the vague outlines of a nod. “Garrett. What is Prospero?”

All of a sudden, Garrett stopped muttering his line and looked at Bertholdt with a stare that frightened him. The old man then launched himself at the young boy but Bertholdt managed to get out of the way. Garrett however would not let up and continued to try and pounce on him. The woman grabbed his arm but Garrett headbutted her and threw her to the side. The woman fell to the ground and Garrett pounced on her instead. He grabbed her head and began pounding it against the ground.

“STOP! YOU’RE HURTING HER!” Bertholdt charged Garrett and he hit the ground hard. Bertholdt went to check on the woman only to see a pool of blood starting to form around her head and couldn’t hear breathing at all. _Oh no_.

“Red…Titan.”

Bertholdt turned to face the man who had mercilessly killed the person who had been taking care of him his entire life in Black Crag. “What?” His hands began to steam but Bertholdt did not notice. He was looking at the berserk man tearing out his hair and hitting his temples hard.

“Red Titan. Red Titan. Red Titan. Garrett Jacobs. Team Leader of Jacobs Squad; Survey Corp. Vice Captain of the 13th Expedition. Home: Shiganshina; Wall Maria. 20 years old. Number 2035. Group 86. Went to Prospero. Found Stone. Tried to leave. Red Titan. Red Titan. Red Titan.”

 _Red Titan? Does he mean me? Does he know about the Colossal? Does he know about Marley?_ Bertholdt stopped thinking as he saw the mad man lunge at him again. This time, Bertholdt was ready. He took a deep breath and punched Garrett square in the jaw in an uppercut attack. The force sent Garrett back to the wall stunned. Thinking that he shouldn’t let up, Bertholdt readied his steaming fists and launched his attack on the man.

Unfortunately, he was not an experienced fighter. Garrett eventually recovered and counterattacked. He launched his right foot right at Bertholdt’s chest, sending him backwards. He then launched at Bertholdt again and tackled him to the ground. He held Bertholdt’s arms down with his feet and grabbed Bertholdt’s head. Bertholdt then felt his head being pounded against the solid floor.

“MUST. KILL. RED. TITAN.”

Bertholdt was dying and he knew it. Part of him was okay with that and closed his eyes. He had done terrible things and maybe this time, the world was offering him a way out of this terrible life he was living. The devil and angel on his shoulders were shouting at him to not give up. Bertholdt was ignoring them. He didn’t care anymore. _Let it end. No more cruelty. No more failing. Just let it end._

_Bertholdt…were you even going to fulfill the promise you made me?_

His thinking stopped after those words popped into his head. _What?_

_Protect my family Bertholdt._

Bertholdt felt a tear glide down his cheek, remembering the promise asked by the best man he ever knew and idolized.

_Save my family._

He then opened his eyes. Garrett immediately stopped what he was doing as his rage was swiftly replaced with fear. All of a sudden, Garrett raised his hands to find them burning in pain. Bertholdt’s whole head was steaming and burning at a temperature Bertholdt himself had never felt before.

However, Garrett didn’t stop and was about to continue smashing Bertholdt’s head but Bertholdt released his hands from Garrett’s feet, unbalancing him. He then grabbed Garrett’s face and concentrated his emotions on his hands. Suddenly, steam burst from his hands making Garrett scream in a high pitch howl. However, he grabbed Bertholdt’s neck and began to squeeze it hard.

“MUST……KILL……RED TITAN!”

Bertholdt was feeling his life drain away again but Bertholdt was not going to give up. He reminded himself of a promise he had made, and he was not going to let him down. Not again.

Out of nowhere, an axe smashed into Garrett’s head; ceasing his strangling.

Bertholdt looked at Garrett’s burnt face as his life began to slip away. “Garrett…Jacobs. Team Lea…der…of Jacobs…Squad. Vice…” He was not able to finish his sentence as he fell to Bertholdt’s side dead. Bertholdt continued to cough relentlessly and his blurry vision was hindering his sight. He then calmed down and when his vision cleared, he saw Brady standing over him.

“Jeez noodleneck. I leave and already you’re in trouble.” He went over and reached out his arm for Bertholdt to take. “Is it always this way with you?” Bertholdt snickered and grabbed his arm and was lifted up. His arm was placed across Brady’s shoulder as he leaned his limp body on the blonde fighter. “You really did a number in here didn’t you?”

“Sorry. It wasn’t……my fault.”

“Well the Orks aren’t going to see it that way. We had better leave now.”

They moved to the door and Brady reached out to open it. Except when he opened it, he and Bertholdt were greeted by a security detail of Black Orks.

……

Bertholdt regained consciousness about an hour or two later only to find himself in a Orkish office. It was huge and was decorated with trophy heads and scrapped pieces of armor. Bertholdt looked to his right to see an open hole in the wall. He squinted and saw the stadium’s field. _I must be in Black Crag still._

He went to look out the hole, but he couldn’t move his arms. He looked and found them chained to the floor. _Not again_. He struggled but he already knew it was useless. He had been in this position before and he knew that all too well.

He heard a cough next to him. He turned to see Brady standing next to the wall. He looked at Bertholdt but didn’t say anything, but the Warrior could see that Brady was nervous. Though he wasn’t the one chained, he was trying to think why he was the one who was nervous.

“Zo. Yuz awake. Glad to zee yuz again.”

Bertholdt recognized that voice. He had only known the Ork for a short time but he could tell that this Ork was angry and had a vengeance for Bertholdt. Bertholdt turned to see Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw glaring at him with his menacing eyes from his mountainous height.

Bertholdt was too afraid to say anything.

“Got nuffin to zay do ya? Dat’s fine. I’ll be doin’ da talkin’ and yuz gonna keep ya trap zhut. Talk and I’ll gut ya maself.” After he heard Bertholdt gulp loudly and shake his head, Gorbad snorted hot air in Bertholdt’s face. He then walked over to the shoddy desk where he was joined by a weird looking Ork. Bertholdt had to guess that he was the twisted announcer for this place.

“Do yuz know where we are boy? Of course not. Wez be in da legendary Black Crag. It be ‘ere dat Gorfang Rotgut rose to powa. In dis place dat waz once a place Skaven ratmen ruled, Gorfang commanded da Red Fangs forward and killed da ratties of Clan Volkn. To celebrate, he ‘ad da captured ratties build a stadium zo he could watch dem fight. Zoon, Orks wanted to ‘ave a go in dere and it zoon turned into a place of profit and entertainment. It waz ‘ere where Gorfang defeated his rivals and was chosen az Warlord. It was ‘ere where he was gifted da Greenskin Titan. Black Crag is perhaps da greatest monument to Orkdom in all of Ullanor.”

He turned to Bertholdt and stared at him from across the room. “Az ya know humie, yuz be rezponzible for da utter deztruction of da Goffz landz. Ma birffplace. Ma Warboss’s ‘ome. Da place Grimgor zaved our kultur from deff. Dat’z what you ‘ave destroyed.”

Bertholdt felt shame drown him. He remembered all the screams and roars of the Orks. The explosions of their vehicles. The booms of the bombs. The fires that consumed their homes.

The blood of the Ork he had squashed in his hand.

“Dat’z right. Remember da damage yuz caused. Ya betta make it da last pleasure yuz eva felt because when I be done wiff yuz; yuz gonna wish yuz ain’t eva done it.”

“I didn’t feel pleasure from it.” He was then smacked so hard in the head that he felt his head bobble back in forth. His vision was blurry again. He was starting to think that maybe the blurry vision was going to be a regular sight now.

“I zaid don’t talk.” Gorbad cracked his knuckles and walked towards the window. “But to be ‘onest, dat’z not why I be angry wiff yuz.” He then turned back to Bertholdt and grabbed him by the throat. “I gonna kill ya because yuz made ma mountain-brudda quez’hion me and made me believe dat he wazn’t loyal. Our bond be broken and it may neva’ be fixed. Wiffout ma Warboss, my Waaagh could ‘ave been destroyed. All because a fuckin’ humie grot child.” He slammed Bertholdt to the ground, which made pain erupt everywhere for Bertholdt. “Well I am gonna eliminate da problem.”

He let go of Bertholdt leaving to lift himself off the ground by himself. He was bleeding from the nose and mouth and his head was throbbing. He was in so much pain.

“I be an Ork of honor so I give yuz a propa’ deff. I will make yuz fight in da Black Crag tomorrow. I will ‘ave ma Weirdboyz and Doks fix yuz up and yuz will prepare for da fight of ya life.” Bertholdt started to shake as he remembered the match he witnessed when he had first arrived. He didn’t want to be a part of it but now he was being forced into a nightmare once again as punishment. “And if yuz transform into dat Titan again, I will tear off ya ‘ead and put it on ma banner as a trophy. Yuz got me?” The scared Warrior shook his head. “Good.”

He turned to a petrified Brady. “Yuz. Get Kharn ready. Tell ‘im dat da humie who slaughtered a whole klan is going to fight ‘im. It may not be da match he expects but he will be paid a great price if he chopz off his ‘ead.” Brady did not move and was turning pale by the seconds. Bertholdt had never seen Brady like this. Was Kharn really that terrifying?

“NOW!” Brady snapped himself out of his trance and rushed out of the office. Gorbad then shouted and immediately two of his Black Orks came in and took Bertholdt out of his chains. He was then dragged out of the office struggling.

Gorbad had never felt so satisfied before. He was getting rid of a problem that had nearly destroyed his Waaagh. That almost turned his friend and mountain-brother against him. Gorbad did not want to think about the two of them fighting to death. He really did not want that to happen. It would be easy to fight some other Ork but he wasn’t sure if he could kill Ghazghkull even if he had to do it.

But now the problem was eliminated. It would take time but Gorbad was sure that this would all be put behind them and the two would go forward and lead Waaagh Gorbad against the Terrans and any other race that stood in their way. Together they would make the world green in the name of their god and in the name of their mentor; Grimgor Ironhide.

“Mighty Warlord, yuz do know dat Kharn will be angry at his less dan equal match? If he goes out of control again, his berserk rage could cost ya boyz and da support of da klanz. I don’t mean to ques’hion but iz dis da best idea?” The Ork was clearly nervous about questioning the Warlord. Who wouldn’t be?

Gorbad chuckled and began twirling Morglor the Mangler around like a ball and chain. “Of course I know da conzequences. But his boy dere knows da conzquences if he goes out of line. He will get da message loud and clear. Because if he doesn’t, he will meet a foe dat will zertainly kill ‘im. Me.”

……

The Ork janitor carted the two dead bodies through the hallways and outside into the windy atmosphere to where the dumping site was. It was a place where dead Orks and humans were placed so the Squigs could clean their mess for them. This was supposed to be a job for a _Gretchin_ but since they were all in Big ‘Un Mountain, he was the one who was told to do it.

He arrived at the dumping site and huffed in anger. He hated the job that was forced on him and after this, he was going to consume grog as if there was no tomorrow. Getting drunk sounded like a really great idea.

The Ork looked down at the dead woman and man. The Ork grimaced when he looked at the man’s face. It was all distorted and burnt. The Ork wondered what in the One Who Creates’s name happened to the humie? He then shrugged and was glad that he never had to see it again. He grabbed the dead man’s body and easily lifted him. He then walked over and dumped it next to the stacking pile of bodies. The Squigs would be full tonight but he did wonder what mad beast would eat this piece of shit.

He then felt the wind heighten and he began to rub his arms. It got cold all of a sudden and he had no idea why. He then heard a woman chuckling in the wind, which confused to Ork even more. The wind then died down as if it just instantly died.

The Ork was beginning to think that his idea to get drunk was getting better and better every second. He then turned to finish up his task and leave. When he turned, he then believed that he must have already gotten drunk.

Because the dead woman was no longer in the cart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Crag:  
> Perhaps the greatest source of entertainment in the Ork Lands is the one and only Black Crag. Built by the Red Fangs Warboss, Gorfang Rotgut, he had previously cleared the Skaven out of the place and used the captured ratmen to build the immense stadium. After it was done, he had all the slaves fight to the death in a huge free-for-all as the Orks watched. It was an amusing spectacle and even some of the orks joined in. Since then, it has become a place where Orks go to prove themselves as powerful warriors where they face off against the humans, Skaven, Savage Orks, and whatever beast can be provided. 
> 
> Morglor the Mangler:  
> The unique weapon used by Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw. It is a powerful axe forged in the deepest forges of the Black Orks with the toughest metals they could find. Since then, it has dulled or chipped in its service to the mighty Ork. He chains the axe to his gauntlet so he can spin it around like a ball and chain, easily decapitating enemies and killing them from a distance. Whenever he goes to battle, the Orks always see him flying his Wyvern Krimson Killa while twirling his legendary weapon over his head. This weapon is perhaps the only thing that can possibly compete with the greatest weapon wielded by an Ork Warlord: Gitsnik; Grimgor Ironhide's Battleaxe.


	13. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. A chapter with more than 10,000 words. I really can't believe it. But I loved writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy this and what's to come. Good Days and Good Nights.

The Ork worker fell to the ground and didn’t get back up. Orkimedes’s new Power Klaw arm saw to that as the boy lie on the ground unmoving. Orkimedes smiled as he congratulated himself for a great improvement to his weapon. But now was not the time to celebrate.

He ordered two of his lackeys to drag the dead rebellious Ork out of his sight as he moved through his homey labyrinth within Big ‘Un Mountain. After a few turns, he entered the main engineering room of his fortress. He smiled as he walked by. Orks whipping and bruising the remaining _Gretchins_ to be faster as they worked and the occasional death from starvation or intense ‘motivation’ got him to chuckle. It really was great being on the top of the food chain.

“Boss!” Orkimedes turned to see one of his Mekboyz running towards him. “We zuccezzfully attached da first big canista Snikrot brought back to da machine. The attempt killed a gud dozen of da _Gretchins_. Da rest will be put on shortly but I ‘ave a ques’hion. Boss, we’z be runnin’ low on _Gretchinz_ and if what da furst attachment did is da zame for da rest; where’z we gonna get da manpowa’ to move da canistaz?”

Orkimedes growled with annoyance. Of course there were going to be accidents when loading the canisters of raw humie Titan energy into his greatest creation. The lightning siphoned from the Kolossal Titan was just like any other Titan lightning they siphoned. He did have to admit that the lightning from the Kolossal may be a little unpredictable and aggressive. Maybe it had something to do with it being drained from a shifter. The curiosities did spark in Orkimedes’s mind.

But, no risks meant no rewards.

“Zo what? If we run out of _Gretchinz_ , we run out of _Gretchinz_. We can alwayz use eaga’ boyz for da labor if need be. Zo don’t worry about it. Juzt do da job and yuz will be rewarded. Fail and I will drain uze of ya Waaagh. Understand?” The Mekboy shivered and nodded with haste. “Good. Alzo, tell da _Gretchinz_ if anyone of dem try to ezcape, I’m turnin’ dem into Titan chow. Now get outta ‘ere.” The Mekboy turned and retreated out of Orkimedes’s sight.

Orkimedes turned and watched as another one of Snikrot’s Ziphonbuggys slowly move forward with a huge canister of Kolossal lightning attached to its back. Orkimedes took the time to look at the fuel for his veiled machine. Orkimedes had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. In the form of beautiful yellow light, the greatest destructive power bounced off the canister’s walls with what could only be described as fury and anger. Orkimedes could tell it craved destruction.

If it was anything like the obliteration of the Goffs, the power he would hold with it would make him unstoppable.

He would have to thank Dead-Eye Valmir for all the information when he was done healing. He would not be on the cusp of victory without his hired gun. Through all the torture and experiments had done on him, he forced him to tell his story. The beginning about his life and struggles were boring to him but then something caught his ear. When Dead-Eye stated that he witnessed the Kolossal Titan break down the Walls of whatever ‘Zhiganzhina’ was, he continued to torture him to learn more about the beast. Sadly, he didn’t remember much about the encounter.

All that Dead-Eye could remember was that he was on a job that required him to be a lookout on the Wall that day and he panicked when the beast destroyed the gate. The last thing he did remember before fleeing was seeing an ‘Armored’ Titan climb the wall and drop off two humie whelps on the Wall before it disappeared.

It was clear Valmir thought that he was seeing things at that time and chalked it up to panic. But Orkimedes kept the scene in his mind. After a few more treatments, Dead-Eye spoke of his capture of Bert’oldt in great detail. During his escape, the whelp launched a knife into Dead-Eye’s face (which always made Orkimedes laugh) and created a convincing diversion to lure the stupid humies away from the others. But the interesting part was the ominous room where the boy cut himself and lightning surrounded the whelp; somehow activating a portal.

Orkimedes then recounted his observations of the whelp. During the auction, he caused one of the wrangla’s head to explode from intense heat exposure somehow emitting from the whelp’s hands. At first, Orkimedes couldn’t make sense of the case. But with Dead-Eye’s story, Orkimedes began to put things together. He remembered that Dead-Eye spoke of the Kolossal emitting steam around his body and his aura was extremely hot. After replaying the scene of the auction many times in his head, he was sure that the whelp that Ghazghkull hoarded was in fact the Kolossal Dead-Eye spoke of. He was more convinced when he heard the whelp melted scrap and healed himself with steam from slugga rounds.

He was overjoyed when his conclusion was right. He told Gorbad that he did not expect the whelp to have such power but that was an utter lie of course. That was why he had hired Snikrot to find a place far from the mountain to test his theory. He had also created the Ziphonbuggies ahead of time and had Snikrot train his Kommandoes to use him for the possibility. Though it was true that the Titan was bigger and more powerful than he imagined, he had the foresight to create the Ziphonbuggies just in case. And his genius was rewarded with the powerful energy he had in his hands now.

All he required now was the last piece of the machine that his ‘friends’ were going to deliver to him. Of course, Orkimedes didn’t trust his allies one bit but Orkimedes had something they required and the only way to get it was to let Orkimedes have his fun.

Satisfied with what was happening around him, he made his way to the engineering room’s overlook and laughed. The time of the strongest Ork was over. No longer would the world fear the strongest and biggest. Soon, the time of the smartest Ork would come and then the world would know true fear.

……

Bertholdt felt like he was going to die from a thousand heart attacks.

After he had been healed by the Doks, (who the Orks referred to as Painboyz, which did not do Bertholdt’s fears any help) he was immediately sent to the right entrance of the battlefield and shoved in. He tried to turn around and run but the Orks blocked his escape and shut the door on him and locked it. Bertholdt banged on the door and shouted to be let out but he knew that it would only fall on deaf ears.

He looked across the room. On one side of the huge room was assorted pieces of scrap armor and wacky looking Ork helmets. On the other end was a pile of Orkish melee weapons; the majority them being probably too heavy for Bertholdt to even lift. Bertholdt came to the obvious conclusion this was where the gladiators prepared to fight to the death. Once again, it reminded Bertholdt of the books he read back in Marley. In one book, a kingdom had a tournament where knights would joust to win the favor of a fair lady or a wealthy king. Bertholdt often dreamed of himself in those stories being the fair knight who won the tournament and won the favor of the beautiful princess. In those dreams, it was always Annie he dreamed of which only made the dreams better.

But it wasn’t going to be anything like that here. What he was forced into was a fight to the death. And he just so happened to be pitted against the merciless champion of Black Crag. Not out of honor, but as a punishment for his actions as the Colossal Titan.

In the back of his mind, he repeated the usual line of him deserving this fate. But he quickly pushed that out of his mind. He had a mission and he was done asking for death. He had to make it through this. He had to warn Armageddon and help Briggs’s family. He owed him that much and Bertholdt wasn’t going to let him down. Not again. When he had done so, he would continue to fulfill his other promise; completing Marley’s mission and getting his comrades home.

Bertholdt went over to the pile of weapons and nervously looked through it to pick a weapon. During his search, he noticed something on the bottom of the pile. He decluttered the pile until he was able to reach in and grab the item. It was a blade not of Ork design. It was a sword just like the knights in his books would carry. He was in awe on how clean it was and surprised that it wasn’t dull at all. He poked the edge of the sword with his finger and quickly pulled back. _Still sharp it seems_.

Bertholdt then looked at his finger. He thought about transforming and escaping but the way things were, it would probably do him more harm than good. One reason being that he was still too weak to transform fully. If he did, he would be extremely skinny and the Orks would probably have an easier time taking him down, not to mention he had Gorbad’s threatening promise that he would personally take him down. Bertholdt shivered at the thought of facing the Warlord’s wrath.

The other factor being that he wasn’t feeling right. Ever since he awoke from the bizarre attack the Orks hit him with, he had not felt the same. Whenever he hurt himself, he noticed that his healing factor was getting slower and would take even a day to heal the smallest cut. His nightmares were easing up and he was actually getting regular dreams. The weirdest part was that his angel and devil that were usually speaking to him during his most stressful thoughts were quieted.

Bertholdt wondered if the attack hurt the Colossal Titan more than it hurt him. It wasn’t dead and it didn’t leave him; Bertholdt could still feel the monster residing in him. However, the hold it had on him seemed lessened in a way.

With transforming out of the question, Bertholdt thought about escaping. But like the latter, that was also probably impossible. During his time with Brady, he explored Black Crag’s battlefield and there seemed to be no way out besides the entrances to the field. The barriers surrounding the field were too high and even if he could reach the top of the barriers, the Orks watching would only push him back in.

No. The only way for Bertholdt to possibly live through this was to somehow beat the undefeated champion of this place. Even that seemed impossible.

The way Brady spoke of him made Bertholdt more and more scared of what was close to happening. Kharn seemed to be absolutely merciless and from the way he observed Kharn on his first day here, he seemed to be one of those people who loved to kill.

He did believe that there was something Brady didn’t want to tell him. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Brady seemed to be even more scared of Kharn than Bertholdt was now. Still, Bertholdt couldn’t get the image of Brady intensely scratching and rubbing his neck when they were close to Kharn’s room.

It didn’t matter anyways. Whatever it was, Bertholdt was probably going to find out. He rose uneasily as his fear became more and more heavy as he moved towards the armor area. Sweat began to fall like a waterfall as he began nervously putting on parts of scrap armor on his body. His damn hands were so wet, the helmet he wanted to wear slipped from his grasp.

His fear then turned to panic as he leaned against the wall and huddled against it. He ran his sweaty hands through his hair in a nervous fit and his breathing was starting to become erratic. _Oh god. I’m going to die here. This is how I’m going to die. No one knowing where I am. The crowd cheering for my death_. _This really is hell._

_“Ghazghkull. You’re back.”_

_Bertholdt looked up from the floor he was cleaning to see Wurrzag greeting Ghazghkull. He had just returned from a challenge with a boasting Nob. Bertholdt knew for a fact that his captor would win and seeing him walk in with no injuries only reconfirmed in the Warrior’s mind why this Ork was Warboss._

_“So how did it go? Was it an actual challenge or was it some clever ploy to assassinate you?”_

_“More of boff actually. Da Nob dought he would win but to be zure, he ‘ired some otha’ Nobz to join in. Dey even releazed a zoggin’ Troll while we be fightin’. But it didn’t ‘elp ‘im in da end. Right now, ‘is remains are gonna be Squig dung zoon.” Ghazghkull cracked his neck and knuckles as he eased himself down on his throne chair._

_“As usual, you just proved to every Ork that you can’t be defeated in a fight. Just like Grimgor. Though I am curious to see who would win in a clean brawl between you and Gorbad.” Wurrzag looked at Ghazghkull through his mask waiting for the big Warboss to boast._

_“I don’t know Wurrzag. It would be an even fight. But I ratha’ be fightin’ wiff my mountain-brudda and not against ‘im.”_

_“Ah. That is what Gorbad said when I asked him.” Wurrzag clapped Ghazghkull on the shoulder and turned to the exit. “Now if you will excuse me, my old boar Spleenrippa and I are going hunting like we did in the old days. I need a break from listening to you rant and advising you. Don’t break your Gretchin while I’m gone.” With that, Wurrzag rustled Bertholdt’s hair and exited the room. Bertholdt revealed a small smile after he left._

_“Dat coot of a Prophet. Zometimez, I don’t know how I deal wiff ‘im.”_

_Bertholdt chuckled a little while continuing to tidy up Ghazghkull’s boss hut. “I don’t know. He does act crazy sometimes…but…but it’s nice to know that he…he has your best interests at heart.” Bertholdt wished he had someone like that in his life. The closest person to that was his father but even before he got sick, he was distant at best. The only sign that his father really cared about him was when he hugged him after his month alone in the woods._

_“I guezz you be right.”_

_A few hours went by of tidying until he was finally done. Wore out, he leaned against the wall releasing exhausted breathes._

_“Well look at dat. Ya stick body is zoggin’ capable of growin’ muscle, eh?” Bertholdt looked at his arms to see that he actually had some muscle mass on them. Though he did feel them during his Warrior training, they never actually were visible. Bertholdt felt dumb about it but he poked his muscles in awe. He guessed that there seemed to be a small benefit for doing lots of manual labor as a slave._

_“Maybe in a year; yuz could be as strong as an Ork boy Bert’oldt. Miracles do ‘appen ya knowz.” Bertholdt only rolled his eyes and smiled in embarrassment as Ghazghkull started laughing. After a few seconds, Bertholdt couldn’t keep his laughter in and started laughing quietly with the Ork as well._

_The laughter died down and the two started eating dinner an hour later. While Ghazghkull chowed down Squig and Troll meat, Bertholdt started eating his boar meat which was an absolute dream to eat. In the shanties, he had to basically eat shit but it was always nice when Ghazghkull gave Bertholdt something actually edible to eat._

_“Hey Warboss. I have a question to ask.” Ghazghkull finished chewing his food and gulped it down. He then looked over at Bertholdt the Gretchin and awaited his question. “Um…you are the strongest Ork in the klan and perhaps of your entire species. How……can you easily walk towards danger and fight it head on? How are you that strong? Aren’t you…afraid?”_

_Ghazghkull leaned back on his chair and raised his left hand to scratch his jaw. He didn’t answer immediately. He then brought his hand back down and got up from his chair. “Follow me Bert’oldt.” Bertholdt rose and slowly followed Ghazghkull behind the throne. Ghazghkull opened the door behind it and motioned Bertholdt to walk in._

_Bertholdt then set his eye upon clean Ork armor resting on the wall. Bertholdt had seen Ork armor before but they were usually made of scrap and junk. This was different. This armor seemed to be made of actual materials and just looking at it, Bertholdt assumed this armor was not easily broken. He hadn’t seen Ghazghkull wear this to affirm this theory._

_“Dis be Grimgor’s Blood-Forged Armor. According to da Orks, Grimgor Ironhide journeyed to da top of Big ‘Un Mountain to follow da Wyvern who tore out ‘is eye. No Ork had ever been able to reach da top but Grimgor was determined to get revenge. Afta’ a few dayz, he returned to ‘is klan with da skull of da beast and wearin’ da armor right ‘ere. Zoon afta’, he became chief of da klan. It be zaid dat wheneva’ Grimgor bled, he would wipe it on da armor. It zoon became a part of ‘im and wore it everywhere he went.” Ghazghkull placed his hand on the armor. “Afta’ da Last Big Fight, he gave the armor to me. He zaid dat da day would come when it will be a part of me too. Though I know I be unworthy of wearin’ it; I make zure dat I try to be every day.”_

_He then turned to Bertholdt. He then placed his hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. “But before Grimgor found dis armor, he was an ordinary Ork like any otha’. Even when Wurrzag told ‘im he be meant for greatness, Grimgor still didn’t believe it. When da Wyvern attacked ‘im and took ‘is eye; he conzidered just lettin’ it be. But instead, he climbed da mountain and came back stronga’ den eva’. When I asked ‘im why he went up dere, he told me dat he decided to face da ‘ardest battle he eva’ fought. Against ‘imself.”_

_Bertholdt raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know where the Warboss was going with this._

_“He decided dat he had to face ‘is fear ‘ead on. He remembered dat Wurrzag zaid dat da time would come when he would be needed to prevent the end of all Orkdom. He climbed da treacherous mountain saying to ‘imself dat he was going to protect ‘is klan. When he came down, he was not da zame Ork. He no longa’ feared any’ding. Most assumed it was because he was da biggest or dat ‘is armor was da shiniest. But Grimgor told me dat when he afta’ faced ‘imself and ‘is fear, he was no longa’ scared.”_

_“Dat ztory ztuck wiff me. He taught me dat da only ding to truly fear is yaself. It be yuz who generatez ya fear and it be me dat generates fear in me. Only by facin’ da true center of ya fears, can ya emerge as da strongest yuz can be. It doezn’t matta’ if yuz be da biggest,” he motioned to himself, “or ‘ave da best armor and weaponz,” he pointed at the armor, “but if yuz believe in yaself and defeat da core of ya fears, den noffin can ztop ya.”_

_He then got up and exited to return to his meal. Bertholdt stayed for a minute. He walked closer to the shining armor and found himself looking at the nearly clear reflection of himself._

Bertholdt found himself staring at the rusty breastplate of a random scrap armor set. He must have unconsciously made his way over while he was recalling that moment. Maybe Ghazghkull was right. Maybe being the strongest wasn’t about strength, cunning, or willpower. Maybe it was looking himself in the eye and facing his true fears. Of course, he had no idea what he was most afraid of. He doubted the majority of people didn’t know what they were most afraid of. If he figured out how to face himself, then he could be as strong as Ghazghkull.

Confidence began to seep into Bertholdt. It was rare for it to happen but Bertholdt didn’t process it. He was going to face this warrior in combat. If he died, then he died. But at least, he would die on his own accord instead of someone else’s. He finished putting the armor around him and practiced his swings. He went over some of the moves Brady taught him and tried remembering the moves he had seen Annie perform.

After he felt warmed up enough, he went over to the helmet he had dropped and reached to grab it. He then stopped himself and pulled away. He wasn’t an Ork, he was a human. He was going to show all of Black Crag that he was. Not just a Titan.

He then stepped in front of the entrance that would lead to the arena. The 11-year old Warrior gripped the sword in his hand as he stood with a resolve that Bertholdt never felt before. Whatever it was, it felt good and he was ready to meet his end if it happened.

The entrance door began to open and slowly rose to the top. Bertholdt could hear the audience becoming louder and louder as chants and cheers filled his ears.

“WELCOME TO DA MAIN EVENT OF TODAY. OUR WARLORD ‘AZ REQUESTED DIS MATCH AND WHO AM I TO GO AGAINZT ‘IM? WE ‘AVE A BATTLE TODAY. IN DIS CORNER, WE ‘AVE DA DESTROYER OF IRON ROCK. DA SLAYER OF GOFFZ. DA MOVER OF MOUNTAINS. DA CHALLENGER OF BLACK CRAG……DA KOLOSSAL TITAN!”

Bertholdt was hesitant to move and really did not want to go out into the field of death. He then took a deep breath and tightened the grip on the blade’s hilt. With his confidence still with him, he walked out into the open field to face the crowd.

It was bright when he walked out, and the sun temporally blinded him. After he regained his vision, he looked around Black Crag’s arena. The stadium was once again filled with Orks of all castes and hailed from many klans. They were cheering, chanting, stomping their feet, and some were even banging on drums in their seats. Bertholdt had never seen or heard anything like this and thought that maybe it would be fun if humanity got together and enjoyed something like this; then the world would be a little better.

Of course, he hoped they wouldn’t be watching a gladiatorial match to the death.

He then looked to the center of the stadium. Hanging above the middle of the arena and attached to several ropes and metal bars was a hanging observatory. It was a good distance from the ground; a few meters taller than a 15-meter Titan. The ropes and metal bars were attached to what Bertholdt could only describe as a roof of the stadium. Bertholdt made out Gorbad’s enormous figure among the slightly smaller Orks. They must be chiefs or high-ranking Orks because the hanging room looked like a VIP section to watch over the entire stadium. He also heard a roar of an unfamiliar creature. Flying above the skies of Black Crag was something that Bertholdt could only describe as a dragon. It landed on what looked like a perch near the top of the stadium and roared. _That must be Krimson Killa,_ Bertholdt thought as he gulped.

He then looked around the battlefield. Dead Orks and men were scattered across the place. Torn off arms, legs, and heads filled the floor as mutilated bodies being swarmed by flies colored the remaining spots. Bertholdt began to feel his mouth prepare for the upcoming bile coming out of it.

 _Calm down Bertholdt. This is meant to scare you. Despite the stacked odds against you, there is a small chance to survive. Panic now and you die_. Bertholdt mentally told himself that and it seemed to work. At least for now.

“NOW FOR DA BEZT OF BLACK CRAG. WEZ ALL KNOW ‘IM. HE ‘AZ NEVA’ LOST A FIGHT. HE ‘AZ TAKEN DA ‘EADZ OF ORKS, HUMIES, TROLLZ, AND OTHA’ BEAZTS WE CAN THROW AT ‘IM. TODAY BE UNIQUE PREY FOR ‘IM. A HUMIE WIFF DA POWAZ LIKE DA ORK TITAN.”

Bertholdt tightened his grip and moved into a balanced stance with his blade held up in front of his face. As much as he tried to fight it, sweat was once again starting to trickle down his forehead.

“EVERY ORK KNOWZ OF ‘IZ ZLAUGHTERING. ‘IZ MERCILEZZNEZZ. ‘IZ DRIVE TO KILL.” The stadium started stomping their feet and clapping their hands in a rhythm. _Kharn. Kharn. Kharn._ They kept repeating his name as they were chanting to the rhythm. Bertholdt was liking this less and less.

The sound of the opposing gate unlocking sent chills through Bertholdt. Nevertheless, he stayed strong and firm.

“ENOUGH BUILD-UP. IT BE TIME TO FIGHT. REPRESENTING BLACK CRAG IS DA CHAMPION OF CARNAGE. DA ZLAYER OF MONSTERZ. DA KILLER OF MEN. DA BLOODY BEAST.” The entrance continued to rise as Bertholdt held his breath. He swore he could feel Gorbad smiling above him. “KHARN THE WORLD EATER.”

 _What?_ Images of a familiar tattoo on a familiar person flashed through his head. Bertholdt then started to shake. _No._

Out of the entrance, a warrior clad in blood red armor emerged from the dark. He carried his sharp-edged axe in one hand and his helmet in the other. Muscular arms were unarmored so all could see the multiple scars covering them along with a tattoo of jaws devouring the world.

At the top of the warrior’s terrifying armored figure was the familiar face of Brady McFarland.

Bertholdt froze as the person who helped him survive in Black Crag and see the old man walk to meet him in the middle of the field. Bertholdt looked at the person he respected and was consistently insulted by look at him with regret. He stopped a good distance away from him and placed his helmet and axe on the ground.

Bertholdt opened his mouth to speak but found that he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have the words to describe how he felt.

Brady sighed and looked at Bertholdt apologetically. “I’m sorry noodleneck. I didn’t want you to find out. But I guess it would have come out eventually. You’re a good kid. The last thing I want to do is be the cause of your death. But I have no choice. If I win a few more matches, I’m free to go and live a normal life again.” His face then turned into a determined one. “I’m sorry but that’s life. I’m going to regret this, but I have to. Forgive me.”

“I don’t want to fight you,” Bertholdt called to Brady as he lowered his sword. “I just can’t.”

Brady sighed heavily. “You misunderstand. I’m not the one killing you.”

_What does that mean?_

Before Bertholdt could actually ask that, Brady started acting erratic. He smashed his hands against his forehead and began to fall to the ground. Bertholdt could see Brady gritting his teeth and breathing heavier than before. One hand then moved to the back of his neck and began scratching it.

Then all of a sudden, Brady’s muscle mass began to grow. Brady howled in pain as his figure got bigger and denser. His arms grew about a couple more inches thick and his muscles became more defined. His body widened as he began to punch the ground with his bigger fists. Bertholdt honestly had no idea what he was witnessing.

Suddenly, the howling stopped. It was then replaced with laughter as the enlarged figure of Brady McFarland stood to his greatened height. What was regret and sadness on Brady’s face turned to anger and murderous intent. “Brady?” Bertholdt called out.

Brady only laughed as he reached down to grab his helmet from the floor. “Hahaha. Brady is not here right now. He’s taken a backseat because he doesn’t want to watch this. Not that he could do anything anyways. You heard the crowd so introductions shouldn’t be shocking but I’m feeling generous today. I’m Kharn and I am going to be your end.” Bertholdt paled as Brady/Kharn placed his helmet on his head and took his axe in his hands.

“Don’t worry runt. Your skull won’t go to waste. I’ll make sure it has a good spot on my door.”

Bertholdt could only raise his sword as the monstrous figure of Kharn charged at him with his axe raised high.

……

The hooded figure had to hand it to Wurrzag. All of his assurances were spot on. As he had said, the Ork guards had left their posts to watch the carnage that was occurring in the middle of Black Crag. The hooded figure looked around the surface before exiting the hole in the ground.

The figure had arrived within the training grounds of Black Crag’s prison block. It seemed the prisoners had gone to watch the spectacle too leaving the figure with an empty place to roam freely. The figure had arrived via an old Skaven tunnel the Orks had never found yet Wurrzag knew exactly where the entrance was. The tunnel led the figure straight past the dangerous defenses and into the soft center. _Maybe Wurrzag’s prophetic visions are the real deal after all._

The hooded figure had no time to dillydally. The figure made a fast dash through the hallways of the prison as fast as the figure’s legs could. It was nice not having to sneak around right now with everyone gone. The hooded figure was praying that the boy would stay alive for a few more minutes. That’s all the figure needed to get this part of the job done.

The figure stopped in front of a scrap door that Wurrzag described to the very last detail. The hooded figure creaked open the door to find no Ork within the room. All that was in the room were hanging Ork armor and weapons.

 _Third one on the right wall he said._ The figure counted until the figure was at the third armor set. The figure searched the armor until the figure felt a jingle of keys. Happy with the results, the figure grabbed the keys and dashed towards the door. The figure opened it and checked the hallways again before dashing further down the hallways.

After about three minutes, the figure spotted a door. The figure ran towards it and pressed against the wall. _Wait two minutes and you will hear a knock. That’s your associate._ The figure waited and made sure no one was wandering the halls. Luckily, no one was around.

Just then a startling knock shook the figure of wariness. He waited a few more seconds before another much-annoyed knock was heard. The figure sighed before using the keys to unlock the door. The figure looked up and down at the associate to make sure the associate matched Wurrzag’s description.

“Okay. I’m off to finish the next part of the job. I don’t know how much longer we have so you’d better make it quick. Oh, and if you see Wurrzag afterwards, tell him he’s a smartass.” With that, the hooded figure ran down the hallway the figure came from as the associate walked through the door and shut it with a loud bang.

……

Bertholdt quickly rolled out of the way of yet another heavy strike of Kharn’s axe. He then jumped to his feet and stepped back from the terrifying warrior. However, Bertholdt underestimated the quickness of the man as he charged him with his shoulder, sending Bertholdt flying. He tumbled on the ground until he finally stopped. _Maybe I should have taken the helmet_.

His senses then alerted him to an incoming attack, making Bertholdt roll to the side merely evading Kharn’s axe again. Since the fight began, Kharn had been relentlessly chasing after him and swinging his axe at the 11-year old boy. Luckily, the one thing Bertholdt had over the powerful berserker was his speed and sense of awareness. There was one advantage of always expecting the worst and that was being prepared for anything. Whenever Kharn would strike, Bertholdt had the sense to dodge and weave out of his way. If he was cornered, Bertholdt knew that he would be dead in seconds.

However, Bertholdt was getting tired; both mentally and physically. He had been at this for about twenty minutes and though it seemed like a short time, it felt like hours to Bertholdt. His mind was also draining. Overthinking and expecting the worst were not helping his fear as he continued to push his panic down. If he failed, he would act on that panic and it would result in him doing something stupid. That would be the end of him.

Kharn didn’t seem to be slowing down at all. Maybe Bertholdt was becoming sluggish because Kharn seemed to get faster with every attack. Bertholdt also sensed that despite him being a bloodthirsty killer, he was very smart during battle. Every time Bertholdt dodged him or faked him out, Kharn would start to pick it up quickly. It was becoming more dangerous for Bertholdt to escape as the last few successes nearly tore his leg off.

Bertholdt knew he would have to fight. Though it seemed like a bad option, Bertholdt surmised that he was quickly running out of them. He knew in his mind that the last option being transforming into the Colossal and yet he feared performing that. He didn’t want to hurt Brady (even though he was trying to take Bertholdt’s head off) and any more Orks (despite them cheering for the latter to take Bertholdt’s head) than he already has. Bertholdt continued to look for opportunities to escape but nothing showed any hope of escape.

“QUIT MOVING YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Kharn lunged at him again and once again Bertholdt went for the dodge. He leaned to the left and was about to spring out of the attack zone. However, Kharn was ready for it and quickly lashed out his free hand and tripped his feet. Bertholdt fell to the ground but before he could get up, Bertholdt felt a giant boot in his stomach. Kharn’s kick sent him skittering until he hit the wall.

The crowd cheered for the successful hit but Kharn did not stop to brag. Kharn continued the assault as he leaned his body down to tackle the rising Bertholdt. Bertholdt was sure he was finished until he felt a chain next to him. He looked up and saw that it was connected to the wall. It wasn’t enough for him to climb over but it was perfect. Bertholdt quickly jumped and grabbed the chain, hoisting his lower body up; barely missing Kharn’s tackle.

The berserker hit the wall hard and made him stumble a bit. Bertholdt didn’t know what he was thinking but he dropped down from the chain and went straight for the red armored gladiator. With his sword, he swung a weak strike at Kharn’s axe arm and successfully connected. It wasn’t a fatal cut but it pierced Kharn’s thumb on the downward strike. Kharn dropped the axe and Bertholdt went for a stab on Kharn’s shoulder. It buried into the skin until it hit the shoulder-bone. He was strong and any of Kharn’s slices could easily kill a man, but he was a very big target for Bertholdt to hit.

Unfortunately, this only pissed off Kharn as he seemed to shrug it off and punched Bertholdt in the face with his giant fist. It was then followed by a devastating slug to the gut which Bertholdt to his knees as he tried hard to breathe. In an effort to breathe better, he tore off his armor and put his hands on his bruised chest. He coughed violently as Bertholdt felt himself being grabbed by the throat. He was held to where he was at even eyesight with Kharn; who Bertholdt could tell that he was smiling underneath that helmet. He was then thrown and was once again tumbling across the bloody battlefield. Kharn chuckled as he grabbed the sword stuck in his shoulder and pulled it out. He grabbed his axe and began to make his way to Bertholdt.

 _I can’t keep this up any longer_. Bertholdt felt every bone in his body act. He had only suffered two hits and already he was near death. Kharn was a beast and Bertholdt could see now why he was feared by everyone in Black Crag. _Come on. Get up. Fight for Briggs. Fight for Ghazghkull. Fight for Annie._ But he found he couldn’t muster the strength to get up. How foolish was he to think that he stood a chance?

He then flinched as his blade sunk into the ground next to his face. He looked up to see Kharn causally walking towards him, batting the axe on his hand. “Come on runt. I’m not getting any excitement out of this. You’re supposed to be the Ork slayer these greenskins fear? Ha. I bet they died of laughter.” He stopped batting his axe and his boasting turned to cruelty. “I get angry when I’m bored. Especially when I was told I would be fighting someone worthwhile. I don’t like being lied to. Make this interesting or else I will make it much more painful for you runt.”

Bertholdt did not want to entertain the psychopath but what choice did he have? He slowly stood up and grabbed the sword. He weakly held it in his hands and held it in front of him. Kharn only huffed as he charged towards the fading Warrior. Bertholdt planted his feet and readied himself for the attack. He was too exhausted and hurt to try to dodge so he stood still and waited for the mad man. Kharn rose his axe and prepared to bring it down on Bertholdt’s head.

It was then Bertholdt made his really stupid move. He ducked and dove between the legs of the charging Kharn. When Kharn slammed his axe on the ground, it buried itself into a dead Troll carcass. Now was Bertholdt’s chance. He went over to a recently killed combatant and grabbed a piece of clothing from him. He then charged back to the grunting Kharn still trying to pull out his embedded axe. Kharn turned to see what was happening but Bertholdt immediately forced the bloody cloth on Kharn’s helmet. Luckily, the helmet had horns on it so the cloth easily covered the berserker’s face and was stuck on it; blinding him to what was happening.

Bertholdt quickly ran over to a spear on the battlefield and grabbed it. Thankful that Kharn was still confused with the cloth covering his face, Bertholdt held the spear above his head and brought it down on Kharn’s axe hand with all the force he could muster. Kharn screamed as he felt the spear puncture his bones. Not wasting any time, Bertholdt then ran to the Kharn’s backside and rammed his sword into an exposed part of his leg.

Kharn howled as he fell to his kness. He swung his free arm at Bertholdt only for Bertholdt to retaliate by slicing at Kharn’s arm. It lightly cut it, but it was enough for Kharn to pull his arm back. Kharn then went back to pulling his axe out with his free arm, giving Bertholdt the opportunity to decapitate him in one swing. Bertholdt raised his sword high, resulting in the Ork audience cheering and booing. However, Bertholdt tuned out the cheers as he found himself at an impasse.

Part of him wanted to kill him. Brady had lied to him and was now trying to kill him. Sure, he had been with Bertholdt to show him the ropes and helped him get a conversation with the Old Man. But right now, Brady was trying to kill him without mercy and Bertholdt felt like the same fate should be his as well. But for some reason, Bertholdt couldn’t do it. Bertholdt remembered the tattoo that Brady had on his chest near where his heart was. _Cara_. Bertholdt didn’t know why he was thinking of it right now, especially in this deadly situation. But Bertholdt couldn’t help but wonder. Was Cara someone Brady protected? A friend? A sister? A girlfriend? A mother? Bertholdt had no idea.

His mind then flashed towards the boat’s view of the burning city of Shiganshina. Many people had lost someone they cared about that day and it was all his fault. Kids not ever seeing their families again, mothers never again holding their children close, wives and husbands never again kissing their spouses that they loved. Bertholdt looked closely at the struggling Kharn below him. Under all of that violent thrashing and rage, there was a person who was fighting to return to someone they cared about. Brady mentioned that he didn’t have a choice. If he won a few more deathmatches, he would be able to live a normal life again. Whoever Cara was must be his normal life.

Bertholdt lowered his sword to his side; knowing that he couldn’t take another person from someone again. He had done that to so many people already. He couldn’t do it again; even if the person was a murderous berserker.

Kharn didn’t give Bertholdt the time to doubt himself. With his speared arm, he swiped the boy’s feet, causing Bertholdt to fall on his back. It was immediately followed by a swift punch in the face, making Bertholdt’s vision hazy. Roaring, the berserker tore the spear from his hand and ripped the cloth from his helmet. Bertholdt shook his head of his hazy vision and rose to his feet.

Bertholdt had no idea what to do. He couldn’t kill Kharn, his morals wouldn’t allow it. He also couldn’t keep this match up and he was surely going to die. He outsmarted Kharn now but Bertholdt had a sinking feeling that the opportunity was only going to happen once. Kharn was even more berserk and he was roaring bloody murder at this point.

He had no choice. Knowing that it was equally dangerous, it had a better chance than trying to fight Kharn. He looked down at his hand. He didn’t want to do it. Like he said, he didn’t want to kill Kharn or take anymore lives but if he wanted to fulfill his promise to Briggs and find a way to the Warriors, he had to escape. Without any hesitation, Bertholdt bit his hand and closed his eyes.

But nothing happened.

Before Bertholdt could figure out why, he then felt a great pain in his stomach. He looked down to see the spear he had just used harpoon him. He was so in shock that Bertholdt didn’t register the incoming ball of fury. Kharn then grabbed the spear and lifted the shish-kabobed Warrior and slammed him into the ground.

“Try to get the best of me runt? Big mistake. Now I will tear you limb from fucking limb.” Bertholdt struggled to remove the spear from his stomach as Kharn went over to his still stuck axe. With two hands, Kharn ripped in out of the axe. Bertholdt struggled more when Kharn approached him. “I am going to enjoy this.” He struck Bertholdt with his big fist making the boy lose consciousness for a minute. His face was covered in blood and his nose was clearly broken. Kharn was nowhere close to being down. He pressed his foot against Bertholdt’s left arm and brought his axe down. Bertholdt screamed as his hand was chopped off.

“Aren’t you going to transform? I was promised a fight. I was told I could fight a powerful beast that destroys towns, kills Orks by the masses, creates destruction with a single swipe. But all I see before me is a weakling child.” Kharn slammed the butt of his axe down on Bertholdt’s face, making Bertholdt swallow some of his own broken teeth. “Fine. If you are not transforming then I am taking your head.”

Bertholdt knew his time was up. He couldn’t do anything. He was going to die here; unable to hold his promise to Briggs. He died because of him and he asked for Bertholdt to protect his family, but he won’t be able to. He couldn’t help Annie and Reiner finish the mission and return them to their families. He destroyed Ghazghkull’s home and slew many of his fellow Orks. Now, his Titan had abandoned him and was leaving him to die. Bertholdt had never felt so alone. “Help.” He said in a low exhausted voice. But Bertholdt knew that no one was coming.

Kharn raised his axe and let out a snarl. The crowd’s cheers reached their peak as many stood to see the beheading of Bertholdt. _At least it will be over. No more pain. No more suffering. No more cruelty. I…I can be free._ He closed his eyes; accepting the inevitable. Kharn roared as he brought his axe down in a vicious strike.

The cheers halted. Bertholdt didn’t feel the axe behead him. Was he dead? Did he not feel it kill him? What happened? He opened his eyes to see the axe inches away from his face. But something was blocking it from Bertholdt’s face. Something green.

Bertholdt looked to the side to find another figure in the arena with him. He was big, green, and had the stature of a powerful warrior. He looked closer and recognized some symbols painted on his powerful chest. Bertholdt’s breathing stopped and eyes widened as he recognized the Ork that saved him. “Ghazghkull?”

……

Ghazghkull didn’t respond as he slowly moved Kharn’s axe away from Bertholdt’s face. “Stop hurtin’…ma friend, ya grot.” Ghazghkull then slammed his other fist into the helmet of Kharn. Kharn was sent tumbling, earning a gasp from the audience. Gorbad stood in shock and anger.

Kharn wasn’t done. Kharn slammed his fists on the ground in rage before he rose and charged the Black Ork. Ghazghkull grabbed his axe from his belt and held it at the ready. Kharn jumped in the air and let out a bloodcurdling roar as he readied himself to strike. Many would have dodged out of the way of his mighty blow.

Ghazghkull did the unexpected. He charged toward the berserker. Just when Kharn was about to land his blow, Ghazghkull leaned his shoulder down and slammed into the descending figure. Kharn flew towards the wall and slid to his butt. Still, the berserker refused to lose. He grabbed his axe again and charged.

Ghazghkull and Kharn exchanged axe blows and slices, the fighters putting everything in their strikes. Kharn continued to strike with all his might until the berserker started to notice something; he was getting tired. Ghazghkull also noticed this and began to speed up his attacks. He swiped his axe at Kharn as he swung his towards him. However, Ghazghkull was stronger and the axe struck Kharn’s arm hard. The red-armored berserker roared as his armor was sundered and the axe tore into his arm; causing him to drop his axe.

Kharn held his arm in pain but immediately felt the bricks that were Ghazghkull’s fists. They struck every vulnerable part and laying the pain on the champion. Kharn began to wobble and lose his balance but continued to strike. Ghazghkull guessed that the warrior had never been on the losing side before and he clearly had no idea what defense was. That was going to be his harsh downfall.

Kharn got into position to tackle, which Ghazghkull recognized all too well. Kharn lunged at the Ork. Ghazghkull side-stepped out of the way and raised his fist. He brought it down on the back of Kharn’s head, slamming him to the ground. The crowd cheered as Ghazghkull went and picked up Kharn and held him over his head. Ghazghkull let out a mighty bellow and threw the berserker across the field; landing near Bertholdt.

Ghazghkull snorted as he grabbed Kharn’s axe and threw it at the berserker; embedding into Kharn’s shoulder. Kharn roared as he tore it out and struggled to stand. Ghazghkull could tell that Kharn was getting weak. _Good. I can end dis ‘ere an’ now._ Ghazghkull approached the wobbling warrior, fists at the ready.

Kharn steadied himself and struck at Ghazghkull with his axe. Ghazghkull didn’t waste a second as he brought his fist up in an uppercut motion. His fist slammed into the berserker’s helmet and heard the visor crack under the mighty blow. With that final blow, Kharn stumbled backwards and collapsed on his back. Ghazghkull waited for the berserker to get up and attack but he did not rise.

Ghazghkull cracked his knuckles as he sighed in relief. He had arrived just in time and was able to dispatch Bertholdt’s executioner. Now they could escape. He just hoped that his associate was close to finishing the last part of the plan. He went over to his hurting friend and leaned down to check him out. Ghazghkull quickly removed the spear, earning a scream from Bert’oldt. Ghazghkull expected him to heal but nothing was happening. It was clear that Bertholdt was hurting and was clearly still recovering from whatever Orkimedes did to his Titan. 

“Ghazghkull?” Bertholdt said while gurgling his own blood. Ghazghkull began wiping the blood off of his face and body with his arm. “What…are you doing? Why are you doing this? Don’t…Don’t you…Don’t you hate me for what I did?” Ghazghkull could tell that the humie was confused on his motives that seemed so clear in the past.

“I could neva’ ‘ate ya Bert’oldt.” Ghazghkull raised Bert’oldt’s head and looked at the back to see if there was any damage. Ghazghkull then grabbed a long piece of cloth from his belt and began wrapping it around the boy’s chest wound. “I knowz dat it wazn’t yuz who attacked ma ‘ome.” He then looked back at Bert’oldt. “It be Orkimedes’z fault, not yourz. Don’t be zorry about any’ding.”

“But why? I don’t deserve your help. I’ve caused so much death and pain. Why are you risking your life and position to save me?”

“Because yuz ma friend Bert’oldt. Izn’t dat what friendz do for each otha’?”

Bert’oldt didn’t respond but Ghazghkull found that instead of words, tears started to flow from his eyes. Then Ghazghkull did the unexpected. He lifted his huge thumb and wiped the tears from Bert’oldt’s cheeks. It was clear that the boy was shocked by his actions too as his eyes widened. What the hell did his klan do to him that made him closed off and insecure about everything?

Both turned when they heard a roar of frustration come from the hanging room. Gorbad looked down upon the field with a face of fury and rage. “GUARDZ. KILL DEM BOFF. NOW!” Both entrances opened and squads of Black Crag Orks swarmed Ghazghkull and Bert’oldt within minutes. Ghazghkull readied his axe while Bert’oldt stood and reclaimed the sword he had used.

Just as the Orks were about to charge, an explosion rocked the stadium. The audience area to the right of Ghazghkull and Bert’oldt was blown to smithereens as it collapsed; killing many Ork spectators. Suddenly, the Ork audience began to panic and began swarming the place including the field. They began to wildly attack their own kind believing them to be the mastermind of the attack and even attacked the guards on the field. Pandemonium had ensued and the Black Crag Orks were swamped by the chaotic crowd.

Suddenly, the honking of a Wartrukk was heard by Ghazghkull as it sped through the hole in the stadium and towards him; running over Orks to get to him. It circled around the duo until it stopped close to them. In the driver’s seat sat the hooded figure. Ghazghkull sighed in relief while Bert’oldt looked in confusion.

“Don’t stand there. Get in.”

Ghazghkull started to move after he thwacked a couple of Orks trying to attack him. He was about to get in until he witnessed Bert’oldt doing the something Ghazghkull did not understand. Bert’oldt was slowly dragging the Kharn’s body to the Wartrukk.

“What are ya doin’ ya wazzock? Dat grot waz tryin’ to gut ya. Why yuz be luggin’ ‘im on our ride?”

Bert’oldt continued to drag him as he looked at the Goff chief straight in the eye. “He was forced to do it okay. He also was by my side the entire time I was here.” Bert’oldt looked back at the unconscious berserker and then back at the Black Ork. “It’s complicated okay? But I’m not leaving him.”

Ghazghkull facepalmed himself and let out an annoyed growl. After quickly debating with himself, he ran towards Bert’oldt and grabbed Kharn and hoisted him on his back. “Go go. We don’t ‘ave much time.” Bert’oldt grabbed Kharn’s axe and weakly ran towards the Wartrukk. He hopped into the back clutching his bandaged chest just as Ghazghkull reached the trukk. He tossed the big berserker in the back, but before he moved he stopped to notice something. Kharn was beginning to shrink and clearly Bert’oldt was confused by it too. _Not now. Worry about it lata’ Ghazghkull._

Ghazghkull hopped into the passenger seat and motioned for the figure to step on it. The figure complied and the engine roared as it sped towards the hole in the stadium that was created by the explosion. Several Orks were splattered as the trukk zoomed out Black Crag.

“We ‘ave to ‘ead norff. Da city of Armageddon blocks da way into da Humie lands. We ‘ave to warn Yarrick about Orkimedes and da Titanz. If we succeed, da humiez might ztand a chance.” The figure nodded and Ghazghkull turned to see how Bert’oldt was doing. He just removed the helmet from Kharn and listened closely to his mouth.

“He is still breathing. That’s good.” Bert’oldt then turned and slowly approached Ghazghkull’s seat and leaned against it. “………….Thanks.” Bert’oldt cleared his throat. “Thanks for rescuing me again. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead.” Before Ghazghkull could speak, Bert’oldt stopped him and spoke again. “Why did you come to rescue me? I destroyed your home and killed so many of your people. Why would you risk your title and yourself to save me? I know we’re friends but……why?”

Ghazghkull reached back and muzzled the child’s hair. “Like I zaid, it’z not ya fault. If any grot is to be blamed; itz Orkimedes. He pushed ya to become da Kolossal and deztroy ma home. As far as I be concerned, he be da real culprit. Bezidez, as ya zaid, yuz ma friend rememba? So of course I’z gonna get you out of dat ‘ell pit.”

They continued to drive. The hell that Ullanor had become was soon going to be behind them. Ghazghkull was a little worried Yarrick would not listen to him. He had every right not to trust him, but he just hoped the legendary tactician would hear him out.

He also remembered something. He once again turned to Bert’oldt with a serious look. “Bert’oldt. As ya may ‘ave guezzed, Wurrzag zaved ya from death by Orkimedes’z weaponz. He entered da Waaagh to zave ya. I know dis may be frightenin’ but he asked me to tell yuz…”

The wartrukk was sent flying in the air as Krimson Killa pounced on the Wartrukk’s front. Ghazghkull, Bert’oldt, the figure, and Kharn soared along with the trukk as it tumbled and slammed into a big rock. Ghazghkull skipped like a rock until he too hit the rock. Ghazghkull felt pain but being the seasoned fighter he was and a veteran of Da Last Big Fight, he easily shook it off.

He looked around to find the figure wobbling out of the wartrukk and Bert’oldt uneasily getting to his feet. He sighed in relief that they were ok. They were banged up, but it was nothing they couldn’t hopefully shake off later. While the hooded figure and Bert’oldt lifted the still comatose Kharn on their shoulders, Ghazghkull ran behind the rock to scout the area. He recognized what he was seeing.

Before him stood a beautiful valley. Trees and rocks filled the area along with the calmness of the river that passed into the Bleak Coast that would soon reach the Great Ocean. They were on the border of Blood River Valley; a place where Orks and humies battled constantly. If they were to reach Armageddon, this would be the way. It still held dangers, but he was confident that they could make it through.

However, Ghazghkull heard the familiar roar of Gorbad’s wyvern. Gorbad was coming and they were in the open. The crashed Wartrukk was emitting heavy smoke so it was covering Gorbad’s vision currently. Once he checked the trukk, he would quickly catch up with them. Krimson Killa could easily pick them off and even if they made it to the valley, Gorbad would be on them. Ghazghkull stomped the ground in frustration. They were so close and yet again, they were halted. _What would Grimgor do?_ Ghazghkull asked himself a good number of times. _Of course I know’z what he would do. The ques’hion be can I’z do it?_

Ghazghkull ran back to the struggling humies. Gorbad was going to be on them soon and he needed to act fast. “Lizzen to me. Make way to da Blood River Valley behind me. There is a small descent but yuz be fine. Get through it and you’ll be in humie territory. Get to Yarrick and tell ‘im what’s comin’.”

“You are not thinking what I think you are thinking.” The hooded figure said while gasping at the surprising weight the figure was carrying. “You cannot be seriously thinking of staying and fighting him.”

“What?” Bert’oldt said; stopping his movement.

“If I goez wiff yuz, our oddz will still be zlim. If I ‘old ‘im off, yuz ‘ave a betta’ chance to ezcape. Do not argue wiff me. If ya want what Wurrzag promised, do what I zay and get to dat valley. Boff of yuz.” Ghazghkull stood and cracked his knuckles as he began to make his way toward Gorbad.

Ghazghkull suddenly felt a presence wrapped around his waist. He looked down to see Bert’oldt wrapped around him with tears welling up in his eyes. “You can’t go. You’ll die. I won’t let you. You and Briggs are the only ones who have looked out for me and kept me safe from danger the best you could, even when I knew I didn’t deserve it. Briggs was turned into a Titan and killed because of it. I can’t lose you too. I can’t. I won’t.” Bert’oldt looked up with crying eyes. Ghazghkull even heard sniffing from the hooded figure. “Please…I don’t want you to die.”

Ghazghkull sadly sighed and removed Bert’oldt from his waist. He kneeled down and placed his large hand on Bert’oldt’s tiny shoulder. Bert’oldt sniffed as Ghazghkull smiled at his _Gretchin_ -turned-friend he bought from the Wranglaz months ago.

“Lizzen Bert’oldt. I can guess dat in ya lifetime, yuz ‘ave gone through life believin’ dat yuz don’t deserve to live. Yuz probably wanted to believe dat da world is a ‘appy place where one can live ‘appily if he be gud and kind. Den yuz learned dat da world is da opposite. It be cruel and merciless and yuz learned it da ‘ard way.” Bert’oldt only nodded as he wiped his eyes and nose. “But yet I learned dat despite all of dat, yuz ztill believe in people. Yuz look for da bezt in dem even if dey don’t ‘ave any. For a child who wields da power to zhake da world, yuz do ya bezt to cherish it. Yuz also rizk ya life for otha’z. Like da humie girl and dis raging gladiator.”

Ghazghkull’s ears picked up the stalking movement of Krimson Killa and knew Gorbad was getting close. He tightened his grip on Bert’oldt’s shoulder.

“Yuz dink yaself a monster. But Bert’oldt, I ‘ave faced many monsters and I know dat yuz not one of dem. If yuz are, den yuz are da kindest monster dere is.” Not knowing what came over him, Ghazghkull wrapped his arms around the trembling child and hugged him. “I be glad dat I ‘ave ‘ad da opportunity to get to knowz da best monster da One Who Creates as eva’ made.”

Bert’oldt didn’t react at first. Probably because he was shocked and surprised. Ghazghkull began to wonder if he did this hug correctly. He soon felt Bert’oldt wrap himself around the Ork’s neck and bury his face in Ghazghkull’s shoulder. To Ghazghkull, the world seemed to slow down. For some reason, Ghazghkull liked this odd feeling that he was feeling now. _Maybe dis be what Grimgor was talkin’ about. Maybe dis be passion._

He pulled Bert’oldt away from him and softly patted him on the shoulder. “Yuz be da One Who Wields da Lightning. Yuz be da ‘un who will ztand against chaos when da sun is snuffed. Trust me, ya ztory doezn’t end ‘ere.” Ghazghkull stood to his full height and took his axe from his belt and held it in a tight grip. “Yuz promised to protect da humie Brigg’z family rememba? Don’t let ‘iz deff be for noffin. Get to Armageddon and warn Yarrick. Den go to ya friendz and get dem home like ya promised. Now go and fulfill dose promisez.”

Bert’oldt stood and looked at him for a while. Ghazghkull then saw his face change into the brave and serious face Ghazghkull always knew he had. Bert’oldt nodded and turned around. But before he moved, he turned his head back to the Warboss. “Thank you Ghazghkull……for everything.” Ghazghkull smiled and nodded his head. “It waz da greatest ‘onor.”

Bert’oldt ran over and helped the hooded figure lift Kharn and make their way towards the valley. _Like I zaid before, maybe dere is a little Ork in ‘im afta’ all._ Ghazghkull turned and made his way towards his mountain brother. He knew Gorbad was on the other side of the smoke. After the conversation he had with Bert’oldt, all questions and doubts were cleared from his mind. Maybe he was the Biggest of Dem All. Maybe he wasn’t. He didn’t care about that right now. All he cared about was buying time for his friend to escape and if that got him killed, then so be it.

He passed through the smoke with his axe held firm. He was met by the Ork Warlord and his loyal winged companion. Gorbad still looked angry but Ghazghkull could tell that his Ork friend was having doubts and regrets. But Ghazghkull had a feeling that it wouldn’t stop Gorbad.

“Zo dis is what it be comin’ to? Da descendants of Grimgor standing against each otha? Mountain-bruddaz wiff weaponz raised as if dey be enemies?” Gorbad said from his mount on Krimson Killa. “Grimgor’s Axe Ghaz, why did ya do dis? Why are yuz ztanding against me? Why are ya riskin’ ya life for da humie who destroyed ya ‘ome?”

Ghazghkull looked to the ground in thought. But his undoubting conscious knew the answer to that. “Orkimedes destroyed our ‘ome. Yuz destroyed our ‘ome.” Ghazghkull could see the hurt on Gorbad’s face but he wasn’t going to stop. All of his thoughts were going to come out. “Yuz allowed Orkimedes to ravage Ullanor. Enslavin’ _Gretchinz_ instead of killin’ dem wiff ‘onor. Allowin’ Orkimedes to experiment wiff Titanz; da beasts dat almost eradicated all of our zpecies. Yuz turned a blind eye when our kultur Grimgor taught us to uphold was destroyed by da Mad Ork.” Gorbad’s face turned to anger as Ghazghkull readied his final remarks.

“Because of ya desire to be da Biggest of Dem All, many Orks ‘ave died for no reason. And it is ya zensless warmongering in ‘opes of bein da Ork Titan is what made me finally zee dat yuz ain’t worthy of ma trust.” Ghazghkull didn’t want to say what he was thinking next, but he felt that Gorbad had to know.

“If Grimgor were here, he would be ashamed of yuz.”

Gorbad roared as he unhooked Morglor from his belt and whirled the chained axe in his hand. “Dat’z it. I zee now dat yuz are against me and always ‘ave been. I tried zo ‘ard to make ya zee what I am doin’ is for da sake of Grimgor and da Orks. I wanted us to sit on da throne of da world togetha’ as bruddaz and e’kualz. But I guezz I fooled maself in dinkin’ yuz would go along wiff it.”

He whistled and Krimson Killa looked at his master with a troubled face. Krimson Killa liked Ghazghkull just as much as Gorbad and it seemed like the beast didn’t want to harm Ghazghkull. Gorbad whistled again and Krimson Killa faced Ghazghkull again with a predatory snarl. “I won’t let maself be fooled again. I neva’ wanted to do dis but I guess I ‘ave no choice.”

Krimson Killa rose on its legs and roared as it spread its wings to show its imposing and terrifying figure. Ghazghkull stood his ground as both descendants of Grimgor Ironhide prepared to fight. “I’m zorry Ghazghkull but now it be time to zee who da biggest of us iz.”

Ghazghkull held his axe in a striking stance and released a heavy breath. “I dink zo too brudda.”

Gorbad, chief of the Ironclawz and Warlord of Ullanor, whistled and Krimson Killa charged at Ghazghkull while Ghazghkull, chief of the Goffs and Warboss of Ullanor, charged to meet them.

Both knew that only one Ork would leave alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iron Rock:  
> The new home of the Goffs klan. In the Last Big Fight, the remaining Orks retreated to a massive rock with Ghazghkull and Gorbad standing on top to rally the remaining Goffs and Ironclaws. After the battle was won, the surviving Orks of both klans placed the weapons and armor of their fallen kin on the rock; calling it Iron Rock. The Goffs then rebuilt their home around this monument while also building a statue of Grimgor on it. They soon named their new home Iron Rock in honor of the fallen Orks and the younger Goffs always aspire to be like their ancestors after they look upon the Iron Rock. 
> 
> Wyvern:  
> The apex predator of the Badlands and the Orkish territories. It is an endangered species but is rightfully feared by both Orks and Terrans. Wyvern's are huge beasts with the wingspan the size of a sailboat's sail and teeth like sabers. It has the ability to breathe fire and it can slowly regenerate wounds in a few days. Only the greatest of chiefs and Warbosses can tame these powerful beasts and submit their will onto them. Those who can end up leading powerful Waaaghs and are known to have the greatest kill counts. Perhaps the biggest Wyvern to ever be seen is Krimson Killa, Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw's loyal companion and pet.


	14. Always Running

Bertholdt and the hooded figure continued to carry the seemingly lifeless body of Brady as they continued to make their way through the dense valley. The heat drastically increased as they continued through the crowded valley. As they carried him, Bertholdt did what he could to observe the environment around him. Blood River Valley was what Ghazghkull called this place. It definitely seemed eerily foreboding but Bertholdt did not want to think about it.

They trudged through the clustered trees and tall bushes until they reached a small stream next to a group of large rocks situated next to each other. Bertholdt looked at the hooded figure to see how he/she was doing and he could hear his/her exhaustion. Bertholdt looked around the area to make sure there was no sign of enemies or beasts. Bertholdt sighed after he came to a safe conclusion.

“Hey, we have been doing this for about an hour or two. We should be deep enough in the valley where it would be near impossible to find us. Should we rest here?” The hooded figure looked at Bertholdt and nodded. Bertholdt wished that the hood was not on the person so he could see who the figure was. It definitely did not help that the cloak was doing a good job hiding the figure’s face. “Okay. Let’s set him down here.”

The figure obliged and after a few more heavy steps, they leaned Brady against a rock and left him to continue his deep slumber. Bertholdt could only wonder what he was dreaming about in that head of his. He still had to decide whether he trusted the berserker or not, but the way Brady treated him back in Black Crag, he deserved the benefit of a doubt.

Bertholdt then went over to the stream as the hooded figure rested against the rock next to Brady. Bertholdt put his hand into the water to feel the nice cool liquid flowing between his fingers. It was nice to feel water again. It had been months since his last encounter with a general source of water. Orks didn’t require liquid to survive (which was odd) so they never had any form of drink around besides the disgusting grog (terrible beer) to drink on special occasions. Bertholdt wasted no time in scoping water into his mouth to drink.

After he felt replenished, he made his way back to Brady and began to take his armor off. He thought that if they had to carry him again, it would be better if they could carry a lighter load. “Alright Brady, I’m going to take this off of you. Um………please don’t take my head off?” He felt stupid when he expected a nod of assurance from the comatose Brady.

He looked at the hooded figure who seemed to have his/her back turned to him as the figure was on his/her side. Bertholdt could hear the slow pattern of breathing which meant that the figure was napping. Though Bertholdt believed it was a bad idea, he banished the idea of telling the figure that he was potentially waking up a madman. So he came to the decision to keep watch while undoing Brady’s armor.

While he was working on removing the armor encasing Brady, Bertholdt couldn’t help but think of Ghazghkull. He was still hoping that the Ork would come from nowhere and surprise him with his survival. Bertholdt believed that Ghazghkull could beat anything. But the way Ghazghkull acted, Bertholdt knew that Ghazghkull was not coming back. He fought the tears away, but the thought of his new green friend’s death did not do him any favors. _Yet another person I care about dead. Am I cursed?_ Bertholdt found himself mentally stumped at the question.

After taking a huge breath, Bertholdt was finally able to strip Brady of his armor and throw it off of him. He then leaned down to check his mouth for breathing and checked his pulse on both his neck and wrist. It was slow but he was okay. Bertholdt sighed in relief as he settled not too far from Brady.

Bertholdt still couldn’t figure out how to feel about the big berserker. Sure, he had watched out for him in Black Crag and helped him when he asked, but after the spectacle in the arena, Bertholdt wasn’t sure how to approach him. _Brady had taken a back seat_ , Brady/Kharn had said before he launched himself at Bertholdt. After the whole experience, Bertholdt was sure he was going to have some terrifying nightmares about it.

His eyes were starting to slowly drift closed but Bertholdt denied himself. He wasn’t going to fall asleep; especially not now. He had no idea what resided in this valley and the last time he slept in ‘Hellworld’s’ forests, he was nearly killed by squigs and a troll. He was also possibly sleeping next to an axe-wielding maniac and he had no idea if Gorbad was scouting above waiting to pounce on them. _Great. Now I’m paranoid enough where I won’t be able to sleep_.

Bertholdt started to think about what Ghazghkull had said to him before he d…left. Ghazghkull told him that Bertholdt had experienced the harsh reality of the world at an early age when he believed the world was a nice place. The Ork had a fine ability of reading people because his guess was on point. Living in Marley, Bertholdt really experienced how the world was. Being mocked and abused by Marleyans, a horrible mother, the Warrior Program, and his bedridden father were all what led to Bertholdt renouncing his childish dream of world peace. Getting the Colossal Titan was only the terrible icing on the cruelest cake the world gave him.

Bertholdt wished that someone he trusted was with him right now. Briggs, Ghazghkull, Wurrzag…

 _Wurrzag._ Bertholdt recalled that Ghazghkull was going to tell him something Wurrzag wanted him to know. He stated that Wurrzag saved him from his near death in Iron Rock before he was knocked unconscious by whatever the Orks did to him. If he ever saw the kooky Ork again, he would have to thank him. But something Ghazghkull said really confused him.

Ghazghkull stated that Wurrzag entered the Waaagh to save him. Bertholdt was starting to get ticked off at how many things the Orks used the term Waaagh for. But from the sound of it, Ghazghkull wasn’t describing the huge assembly of Ork klans or the battlecry. He remembered Wurrzag telling him that he had unusual Waaagh energy within him, which he just assumed was another term for his Titan. He then remembered Wurrzag telling him that every Ork has Waaagh energy inside of them and if it was tapped into, anything would be possible for the Orks; like scrappy vehicles running perfectly and winning impossible battles. Was it possible that the Orks had a similar connection like the Eldians did with the goddess Ymir?

During one of Warrior’s trips to the Tybur Family mansion, he read a book (that of course was off-limits to everyone including him) that was written by a deceased family member who wielded the War Hammer Titan. Before he rushed to put the book back and fake his innocence, he read about a term the wielder defined as ‘the Paths.’ Supposedly, it was a link that connected the Eldian bloodlines and the Titans directly to Ymir and the Coordinate was the thing tying them together. That was of course what the Warriors were sent to retrieve from the Fritz family in Paradis.

He then thought back to his dream with Marcel and the statues. He remembered seeing something that looked like a tree made of light that had its branches of light spread all over the starry sky. He then remembered the girl in chains floating within the tree. _Could that be Ymir? It couldn’t be. She was a goddess who made a deal with the Devil of All Earth, right? According to some people anyway._ He then thought back to Wurrzag’s description of the Waaagh and how it connected every Ork to each other and the One Who Creates. (or the God Titan, which Bertholdt still thought impossible) Was it possible that the connections were the same?

Bertholdt’s head was beginning to hurt from thinking too much and thankfully the stirring of the napping hooded figure snapped Bertholdt out of it. Bertholdt shook his head and leaned back against the rock. Too much was on his mind and he was beginning to think he may never sleep again. He eventually gave in to his drowsiness and his thoughts began to turn into dreams.

The last thing he remembered before losing control of his dreams was wondering how his comrades were doing.

……

“How much farther is it until we get there?”

“We should be close. If I remember right, we should be close to where we were taken. Just hang on a little longer.” Margaret then turned and urged the horse forward as it continued to pull the wagon behind it. Margaret then continued to look everywhere on the back of her steed while Jerrod did the same at the head of the wagon.

It took an extra day of manual labor for the group to bribe the farmer with letting them take the wagon along with them as well as the horses. Since then, Margaret had bonded with one of the horses quickly and easily mounted it. After attaching the wagon to the horses, they set out into the wilderness to find the last place Margaret and Jerrod had seen Bertholdt.

Reiner was not really satisfied with the answer, but he knew he couldn’t change anything about it. He walked back towards the end of the wagon and sat down. He looked around to take a good look at protected lands of Paradis Island. Though it was the land of the enemy, it was surprisingly beautiful and peaceful. Was it all a cover or was this the actual environment of the Walls and their people?

Reiner then looked over at Annie who just looked dead inside. She wasn’t looking around or even conversating with anyone. She just sat there, legs crossed and arms folded. Reiner tried to pry her open and see what exactly was bothering her, but Annie was a master of deflection and keeping things to herself. He guessed she couldn’t help it since she was always closed off. However, she continued to act differently without the tall and awkward Bertholdt around. She seemed more uptight and was quicker to anger.

Reiner could not tell if she was worried about Bertholdt or worried about herself. However, Reiner decided to stop trying and let her brood like usual.

Time had passed since the disappearance of Bertholdt and Reiner felt the invisible clock ticking in his head. They had five years to find the Coordinate and return to Marley. It was a tall order for the four children to begin with and now it was down to two. Reiner continued to pray that Bertholdt was alive, but doubt continued to creep into his once stalwart mind.

He continued to replay the way Margaret and Jerrod described the organization called the Kabal. Just from their description, Reiner was scared just from that. He had heard the terms espionage and assassination before in Marley but those were always caused by rebels and mercenaries. He had never seen an assassin before and from the way they sounded, killing was their specialty. No; their pleasure.

That only made Reiner gulp.

If Bertholdt was caught by them, the idea of Bertholdt’s survival was getting slimmer and slimmer. He wanted more than anything to see him unharmed and unchanged, but he knew those hopes would be dashed. No one could possibly live through something like that and not be changed.

 _You must carry out your mission._ Reiner’s hairs stood as he remembered the voice of his mother. _Certainly, your father will be praying for your success_. That’s right. That was one of his reasons for coming here. To prove to his father that he was more than just a devil and capable of being loved by him. He clenched his fists remembering his confrontation with him. He desperately wanted to change that while also being the hero he was meant to be.

 _I’m sorry Reiner._ Reiner clenched his fists tighter remembering Marcel’s confession. _You weren’t supposed to be chosen as a Warrior._

“What’s wrong with you?” Reiner looked up to see Annie looking at him with no concern at all. Reiner looked down at his fists again and unclenched them. “You weren’t thinking of doing it were you?”

“No. Just thinking.”

Annie said nothing afterwards and leaned back against her side of the wagon. Reiner started to wonder what was going on in her head. Was she thinking about her father? Her home? Bertholdt? There was no way to know.

Reiner sighed and hated himself for what he was about to say. “We have to start thinking about moving on.” Annie turned to look at him with what looked like skepticism. “We may have to go on…the assumption. We have to start covering ground soon.” That earned him a venomous glare from the wielder of the Female Titan. He showed no fear but there was a little part in the back of his mind that was becoming afraid.

“How could you say that?” Annie spat at him. “You think we should just leave him to the wolves like you did Marcel?”

“This is not the same thing,” Reiner softly growled at her.

“It sounds like it. You ran while Marcel was being devoured and now you are thinking of just leaving Bertholdt as well. They sound exactly the same. Shifting words around won’t change it.”

“What do you want me to do?” Reiner felt his fists clench again. “We have taken too long trying to find him. We have no clues or any idea on where he might be. For all we know, he could be…”

“Don’t say it.” Reiner certainly hesitated when he was hit by her deadly tone. But Reiner was not going to back down. As much as he wanted to agree with her, they had to face facts. No matter how much it hurt him to say it.

“I’m sorry but he could be. We have to start making progress soon. We can’t keep following trails that lead to dead ends. I’m not even sure this will lead us to him. Because if we don’t get what we came for, you know the consequences.” Reiner was sure hoping that Jerrod wasn’t listening, but luckily he seemed too invested in surveying the area. “We have to accept it soon. He was my best friend…” Reiner hesitated after he said those words, “…but we have to move forward. He would want y…us to get home.”

“He has one too,” she uttered under her breath.

_He said he was an orphan and had no family._

That sentence continued to ring in Reiner’s head. Reiner continued to tell himself that it was a cover story and it made it easier for Bertholdt to convince them to run. But an inkling of doubt was telling him that maybe Bertholdt was telling more than just a cover story.

“I don’t think he believes that.”

Reiner lowered his head as he felt the heated glare of Annie burn into his head. “What makes you think-”

“Guys.” Both Warriors turned to Jerrod. “Margaret found a familiar landmark during our escape. I think we are close.”

……

_“I’m so proud of you Bertholdt. Chosen as a Warrior Candidate. I knew you could do it, beanpole.”_

_Bertholdt’s mother went over to the cabinet to pull out a large bottle of alcohol and began to pour it into a glass for herself. She began to drink it as Bertholdt just sat in the chair. He had just told her the news and she had taken it with pride. That should have pleased Bertholdt but inside, Bertholdt felt nothing._

_“Do you know what Titan you are getting? You can be a sissy sometimes so maybe you’ll be the Female Titan.”_

_It was clear that she was out drinking earlier as her massive slur ripped through her sentence. Bertholdt successfully didn’t react to the hurtful statement and just remained where he was._

_“No. I’m not the Female Titan. To be honest…um…I don’t know w-what I’m going to get.” If any sober figure was in the room, they would have known that he was not speaking truthfully but his mother didn’t seem to pick up on anything._

_“Good good. Well at least you’ll get something. Maybe with a Titan, you can finally stand up for yourself because we both know your lankiness won’t do you any favors.” Bertholdt sighed hurtfully as his mother poured more into her glass. He got up from his seat and headed to the door. Time in the forest would be able to clear his head from this. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it, pulling the door open._

_The giant eye of the Briggs Titan was looking straight at him. Bertholdt turned white and stood petrified as he witnessed the Briggs Titan reveal its entire head. Its terrifying smile widened as it looked down at the frightened Warrior._

_“BERT……HOLDT.”_

_Bertholdt immediately closed the door and pressed his back against it. He was sweating and panicking. The creature was outside his door and he had nowhere to run._

_“But of course,” Bertholdt turned to his mother right next to him sitting in a chair drinking. “No matter how big your Titan is, you’re still the scared little weakling I gave birth to. It still surprises me that you were able to even get a Titan.”_

_The house began to rumble and Bertholdt was breathing more erratically. “Mom. Did you see what was outside?” But his mother seemed to have no idea what was happening. She just continued to drink and laugh to herself as the scared Warrior was holding the door desperately._

_“Knowing you, your scaredy-cat self will kill someone because of your fear. Or maybe,” his mother stood and got really close to him as she moved her head to where their noses were almost touching, “you’re just a monster who loves to kill.”_

_“NO! I’M NOT. I PROMISE.”_

_“Hm. The Titan seems to disagree.”_

_She laughed hysterically as a Titan hand burst through the door and grabbed Bertholdt. Bertholdt cried for his mother but she was too busy laughing and went back to get another drink. Bertholdt pounded on the Titan’s hand but nothing was working._

_The Briggs Titan looked at Bertholdt and menacingly licked its lips. He then opened his mouth wide and its tongue came into view. But it wasn’t just a tongue because attached to it was the mutilated body of Briggs and multiple grabbing hands. Bertholdt continued to struggle but the Titan wasn’t letting go._

_“Bertholdt……you…promised me.” The body of Briggs said as the many hands reached out to grab him as he was lowered into the Briggs Titan’s mouth. Bertholdt screamed as he was dropped into the mouth and grabbed by the terrifying tongue. The mouth shut and Bertholdt was consumed by darkness. Bertholdt screamed as he felt the many hands grab every body part._

_He closed his eyes and prayed to live. He suddenly opened his eyes to find himself far above the burning settlement of Iron Rock. He looked around and felt something hit his foot. He looked down to find a burning truck lodged into his Colossal’s feet followed by piles of dead people and Orks._

_Bertholdt realized he was in his Colossal form and started to panic. He moved around frantically causing explosions everywhere he moved. He looked around to see if anyone was around, but he didn’t see anyone. He then heard a crunch in his hand._

_Bertholdt didn’t want to but his Titan had other plans. It opened its closed hand to find the squashed body of Ghazghkull embedded against his palm. “No No No.”_

_He then felt the familiar pain of Orkimedes’s vehicles as they shot their cables into him and covering him with pain. His colossal figure fell to the ground as he fidgeted in pain and hurt._

_“Bertholdt.”_

_Bertholdt removed himself from his Titan’s nape to try to escape but started looking around to see who called his name. He then turned behind him to find Marcel standing above him._

_“You have to wake up.” He then reached out his index finger and pressed it against Bertholdt’s forehead._

Bertholdt shot up gasping. Bertholdt shot his hands all over his body to make sure there were no wounds on him. He was also frantically trying to convince himself that he was alive and not in the belly of a Titan or killed by Orks. It was a harder task to make himself calm down.

After the fifth time confirming that he was not dead, he hesitantly breathed in relief and leaned back against the rock. He turned to Brady who still seemed unconscious and didn’t show any signs of movement. Bertholdt placed two fingers on his neck to feel a pulse, which he did. He sighed one final time before he steadily rose to his feet and began wiping the sweat off of him.

He then turned to where the hooded figure was lying and see if he/she was still resting. He only found a discarded cloak where the figure once was. Concern started to flood through him as he began to look all over to see where the figure could have gone. He at least wanted to know the person who had saved his life along with Ghazghkull.

He then heard the breaking of twigs from behind him. Cautiously, he turned and stood in front of the encroaching thing that was coming his way. He stepped out of the way and hid behind the rock Brady was leaned on. He prayed that it wasn’t a predator that was craving scared child for food.

A boar burst into the clearing close to where the cloak was. However, the boar was wounded as it had many cuts and bruises on its body. It eventually fell on its side and stopped moving. Bertholdt slowly removed himself from the rock and made his way over to check to see if the animal was dead. He pressed his hand against the animal’s stomach to find that it wasn’t breathing. Bertholdt sighed as he stood so he could grab the tusks and drag it over to Brady.

“Careful. Don’t cut yourself on the tusks.”

Bertholdt tripped over the boar and fell on his back in sheer surprise. He shook his head and began to rub his blurry eyes as he turned to see his ambusher. All he could see was a figure smaller than him. He could make out blonde hair and the voice sounded feminine. It sounded warm but from a distance; as if ready to make a move it was threatened.

 _Annie_ , he thought to himself; unintentionally building up some excitement in his chest. _You idiot. Do you really think Annie is here right now?_ He shook his head again and this time, clearer vision graced his eyes.

The thing he got right was feminine aspect. It was a girl with black hair, shining blue eyes, an impressive muscular build and a short but powerful stature. Immediately, Bertholdt knew that he didn’t want to piss the girl off. Like Annie, he was pretty sure that she could put him in his place just as easily. Her skin was a darker shade of white and she was wearing a torn up _Gretchin_ outfit.

“I’m glad you’re finally awake. Your tossing and turning kept annoying me.” Bertholdt began to flush as he did not know that. Maybe he was tossing around during his nightmare. Still, it was slightly embarrassing. “Still. I’m glad you’re up. I want to…thank you.”

Bertholdt didn’t know what she meant until revelation hit him like a rock unloaded from a slingshot. He vaguely recognized her until he reran his memory to look for the familiarity. It was the girl he had saved from Orkimedes’s massacre at the shanties. Bertholdt had totally forgotten that he done that action but sure enough, this was the girl he went out of his way to save. Bertholdt didn’t know what to say as surprise still filled his throat. The girl showed a small smile and leaned over to offer him her hand. “Not much of a talker, are you?”

“Uh…” Bertholdt didn’t know what to say as he accepted the girl’s hand and was helped to his feet. She stood him up straight and began dusting his tarnished armor and clothes of dust and twigs.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Do you mind helping me move this next to our sleeping guest?” She already had her hands on the tusk and she began pulling. Bertholdt could tell that she was easily moving it by herself, but he mentally ordered himself to help. He grabbed the other tusk and began to drag it next to Brady. After they finally got it there, they dropped the tusks and the girl went over to her where her cloak was and began wrapping it in a little circle. She then began to grab some twigs and built it into a little pyramid. It was clear that she was building a fire.

She then took a knife from her pants (Bertholdt made sure not to look farther down) and began scrapping it against a piece of scrap. Sparks flew and after a few chinks, a fire had been birthed and the girl quickly managed to get the fire under control.

Bertholdt was pretty impressed. She had survival skills similar to what he was taught by his father.

“So, are you going to introduce yourself or am I going to first? Or are you mute all of a sudden?” She said as she made her way to the dead boar carcass.

“No. no. Sorry. All of this has…uh…caught me off guard. My…my name is Bertholdt. Bertholdt Hoover. Nice to…make your…meet you, ac-ac-acquaintance.” The girl turned and raised her eyebrow at the tongue tied Bertholdt. _Stop kicking yourself and speak clearly._ “Sorry. I’m…My name is Bertholdt Hoover.”

“That sure took you a while.” She raised her eyebrow and returned her gaze to the boar carcass. She then began to stick her knife into the carcass and began to slowly skin the beast. “My name is Selene Hunter. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m the one you saved when Orkimedes killed…my mother.”

She went silent for a minute and Bertholdt didn’t push her. He always was the master of reading a room. One could only imagine what was going through her head. Bertholdt wanted to comfort her but he really didn’t know how.

“Anyways,” she got up and turned to Bertholdt, “I wanted to say thank you for saving my life. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead or have died working in Orkimedes’s hellhole. Now I’m able to repay your bravery because of you.”

“Bravery…” Bertholdt said softly to himself. The word still sounded foreign when it was placed on him. “Um…no problem. Anyone would have done the same thing.” Bertholdt began to scratch the back of his head nervously as he didn’t know what to say. “I…thank you for helping me escape Black Crag. That…that took some bravery doing what you did.”

“Well, part of it was your selflessness that convinced me to try and help. I just wanted to return the favor. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt. But you saved me and also helped Ghazghkull learn Orkimedes’s plot. That probably took a lot of guts for you to muster.”

 _Ah. You wish that were true,_ what Bertholdt assumed to be his devil said, _but alas, we were there to save our own skin. If only we had Briggs to testify._ Bertholdt shook him out of his mind and swallowed the lump in his throat. “I don’t know if I would call it that.”

“You can stop being modest. Who am I to judge your actions?”

Bertholdt was not being modest but he decided not to say that.

“Come help me with this. It will be faster to skin and eat this boar if two people did it together. You good with a knife, oh modest of them all? Or is the fearless knight afraid of getting dirty?” Bertholdt had no idea why his cheeks were beginning to warm up with heat, but he quickly grabbed the knife to hide it.

“Now, while we work I do have to ask?” She turned and Bertholdt followed her gaze to Brady. He was beginning to twitch, and his head slowly turned to its side. Bertholdt knew the question before the girl Selene could ask it.

“What are we going to do with him?”

Bertholdt didn’t have an answer to that question. Truth be told, he was still questioning his motives on why he convinced Ghazghkull to save him. Maybe he had a debt to Brady but in retrospect, Brady was just trying to get Bertholdt off of his back. He trained Bertholdt just for that reason. Bertholdt that defending Brady was harder than he thought. Especially when the guy he was trying to defend almost chopped his head off with an axe.

“I don’t have an answer for you.” Selene did not seem to like that answer. “Look, I know I probably should have left him but…” Bertholdt was having trouble making this next part make sense and not sound insane. “But I feel like I owe him. He helped me find someone and trained me to defend myself in the very little time I knew him. Look its complicated, okay? I just couldn’t leave him.”

Selene looked at Brady and back at Bertholdt. She continued to skin the boar while looking back and forth from the two boys. Bertholdt was starting to get dizzy just by watching her. “Ooooooooh.” Somehow, Bertholdt didn’t like where this was going. “I didn’t know you guys were a thing.”

Shock had overtaken Bertholdt as he did not expect that answer. “What? No way. What the hell sort of idea is that?”

“Not a bad one. It’s perfectly normal. Love takes form in many ways.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“The wonders of love work in weird ways.”

“Did you forget that the guy was trying to tear my head from my shoulders not too long ago?”

“Hey, all couples are unique.”

“Are you seriously enjoying yourself right now?”

A delightful nod. “Of course. If I could draw, I would right some nice pictures of you two together. I can see it now.”

“God, I really am in hell.” Bertholdt covered his face in embarrassment and anger. This was one of the few times he considered turning into the Colossal.

“Don’t shame it. Like I said, you two would look good together.”

“Don’t worry noodleneck. You ain’t my type anyway.”

Immediately, Selene shot up to her feet and grabbed her knife while Bertholdt picked up a stick on the ground and held it in a defensive stance. _Nice. I’m sure poking him with a stick would really injure him,_ he thought to himself.

Brady tried to rise from his spot but found that seemed to be impossible. Bertholdt didn’t notice it before but he now saw that there were tight ropes and vines tying him to the rock and nearby branches he was next to. Selene must have bound him like that in case he woke up and went berserk again.

“Really?” he said as he found that his arms were covered in vines while his neck was tied to the back of the rock. “I don’t like being chained like an animal.”

Normally, Bertholdt would have rushed in to save the unfortunate soul that was tied like that and unable to move. It reminded him of being stuck in his Titan and him struggling to release himself from the iron grip it had on him. However, he didn’t trust Brady at the moment so instead, he went over to his sword he had brought with him from Black Crag and replaced the stick in his hand with it.

“Don’t act like one…and we will think about it.” _Fuck Bertholdt. Keep your cool._ Bertholdt was trying not to sound scared but it was a difficulty. “Tell me the truth. Who exactly are you?”

“My name is Brady McFarland dammit. I didn’t lie about that.”

“How do I know that you aren’t going to kill us if we cut you loose you dumb gorilla?” Selene said as she got closer as if she was about to pounce on Brady’s exposed throat. “Are you going to go all monster man on us?”

“Don’t come near me with that. I can take care of myself but if I feel the least bit threatened I will gladly give you to Kharn.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You’re Kharn aren’t you?”

“Yes and no.” It seemed Brady was even confused by it as well. “Look, the answer is complicated.”

“Maybe I could fix that by slitting your throat.”

“Trust me. You don’t want to do that. He is already pissed that he lost. Don’t make him angrier.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Both Selene and Brady looked at Bertholdt, who had a stern look. Bertholdt wanted to get to the bottom of this and figure out if he could truly trust Brady or not. But now was probably not the time to get answers. They were still in Ork territory and Bertholdt had no idea what dwelled in this valley but if he learned anything about this world; it was never good.

“Selene. Maybe it is best we free him. We need all the help we can get to actually get to Armageddon. We don’t know how far it is from here and this valley looks massive. With his strength and fighting skills, we might stand a chance.” Selene looked at Bertholdt as if he had gone crazy. Brady also gave him a surprised look. “Don’t forget, we are still in Ork lands here. And if we are close to Armageddon, I’m sure there are a lot of Orks here looking for fights. We also may have an angry warlord on a wyvern looking for us.”

Selene seemed to be conflicted as she thought. She must have known that it was a good idea however the conflict was if they could trust Brady with watching their backs. His track record didn’t really shout reliable, but his skills proved his worth as a fighter.

“Noodleneck,” Bertholdt turned to look at Brady, who was taking the time to look around the area. “Are we in Blood River Valley?” Bertholdt didn’t like the sound of his tone as if worry was starting to creep into his question. Bertholdt nodded. “Shit,” Brady muttered, “look Bertholdt, we need to get out of here. Cut me loose. Now.”

“What? Why? What is going on?”

“Listen to me carefully. We have to get out of this valley.” Brady continued to struggle against the ropes and vines but found he couldn’t move as a much as a millimeter. Selene had tied him too tight.

“I’m sure we are fine Brady. There are no Orks around at the moment. Besides, if there were any nearby, we would have heard them.” After saying that however, Bertholdt did not find himself reassured.

“For fuck’s sake. Listen to me. Orks don’t go through Blood River Valley unless they have to. But rarely anyone comes out of here alive. This is Zagstruk’s hunting grounds. If he spots us and traps us, we are dead. We are not in fighting shape right now and he can easily take us out if we don’t hurry.”

Selene just scoffed. “Yeah right. Zagstruk’s a myth. Made up by Orks so we wouldn’t run away.” Selene moved closer to Bertholdt and started to talk in a whisper. “He’s probably trying to scare us so we can free him. I don’t trust him.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure.” Bertholdt knew that he couldn’t fully trust Brady right now, but it wasn’t like Brady to panic like this. Brady was usually cool and calm. He never seemed like a liar in the time at Black Crag. However, he did lie about Kharn. _Or did he?_

_“Sorry noodleneck. Thinking about that bastard doesn’t really make me think straight or act calm.”_

_“It’s okay Brady. I…I get what you mean. He must be that scary if he makes you scared. You’re the toughest guy I know. I guess he’s the only thing you fear huh?”_

_“Yeah, you have no idea.”_

Bertholdt moved closer to Brady and kneeled in front of him. Brady calmed down a little, curious to see what Bertholdt was doing. Bertholdt pointed his sword at Brady, connecting the tip with his nose. “Listen Brady. I can’t fully trust you right now. But I know you are a fighter and I can tell you’re not lying right now. Answer me this question. Do you know your way around here?”

Brady looked in Bertholdt in shock. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Yeah. The Black Crag would send us out here sometimes to practice our fighting. I tried to run away and got through the valley. I was just unlucky to be caught in one of the Ork traps but was lucky to be found by Black Crag and not Zagstruk.”

“Okay.” He pushed the sword slightly more into his nose. Brady didn’t flinch. “I am going to cut you free and you are going to lead us out of here. I’m going out on a limb here and placing my trust in you again. Break it and you won’t like the consequences. Do we have a deal?”

_What the hell are you thinking? He tried to kill us once and he no doubt will try again. Cut his throat and run._

_Don’t listen to him. He knows the way out. He was honorable in Black Crag. If there is still any in him, he will help us._

_Speak for yourself softie. Transform and get out of here._

_No. If you do, you will not only kill Brady and Selene, but you will also alert Gorbad and his Orks to where we are. Besides, we haven’t really felt right after what Orkimedes did to us. We have to play this smart._

_SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! WHOEVER YOU GUYS ARE!_ Bertholdt screamed in his mind at his warring angel and demon on his shoulders. Bertholdt concentrated on Brady to drown out any remarks from them.

“Deal. Now cut me loose quickly. I don’t know if he knows about us or not.” Bertholdt took his sword and cut the ropes and vines. He then reached out his hand which Brady took. After rising to his feet, Bertholdt went over and grabbed his axe. He hesitated but offered it to Brady. Brady looked at the axe Kharn wielded, looked to Bertholdt and Selene, and then back at the ask. He breathed heavily and grabbed it in his hand.

“Don’t try anything shithead. I know how to take down guys like you.” Selene said with a snarl.

“Calm down bitch. I’m here to help. I won’t hesitate to flatten you if you get in my way.” Brady snarled back.

Selene stepped forward with her knife. “I could cut your dick off in seconds.”

Brady followed her advance with a step in her direction. “You wish you could get to it.”

“In your dreams you son of a bitch.”

“Did your mother teach you those words?”

Bertholdt quickly stepped in front of them just before Selene was about to lunge. “Both of you, stop. This is not helping.” The arguing reminded him of Reiner and Annie. If there was anything he didn’t miss about being around them; it was their constant bickering and squabbling. However, he would give anything to be with them again even if they were at it with each other every single day.

“Look. We can’t make it out of here without him and we can’t make it out of here without her. Brady knows the directions and Selene has the instincts. So, get along and we can deal with this later. Agreed?” Bertholdt looked back in forth between the two and after a while, they nodded but Bertholdt could recognize the ‘ _this isn’t over_ ’ face on both of them. “Fine,” they both said.

“MEATZ! I ZMELL MEATZ! MUST EAT MEATZ!”

All three turned in the direction of the shouting. Loud noises erupted from the direction of the shouting and was soon followed by moving trees and snapped branches. All three grasped their weapons with tight grips. Brady however, grabbed Bertholdt’s shoulder and turned him around to face Brady.

“Let’s move.”

Brady turned and ran through the trees and rocks. Bertholdt placed a hand on Selene and motioned her to go ahead of him. Selene didn’t hesitate and rushed in front of him. Bertholdt turned to face the direction of the noises which were getting closer. Bertholdt gulped and ran after Selene and Brady.

They jumped over rocks, ducked through the thick trees, and hopped over some overgrown tree roots as they continued to run and not stop. Maybe they were running from a simple danger but Bertholdt didn’t feel like fighting. He was still recovering from his fight with Kharn and Gorbad’s attack and carrying Brady did not help the healing process.

“Down here,” Brady said up ahead. Bertholdt didn’t know where he was. All he was doing was following Selene and copying her movements and actions. Selene halted which caused Bertholdt to run into her. They both tumbled down a small drop and crashed right into Brady. “Dammit. Watch yourselves.”

Bertholdt rolled off of Selene and hit his head on a stick. It was strangely planted into the soft ground. Bertholdt looked up to find an Ork skull resting on the top of what Bertholdt assumed to be a stake. Bertholdt panicked and crawled backwards until he hit what felt like another stake. Suddenly, a rotting human head fell on his lap. Bertholdt screamed and quickly pushed the head off of his lap.

He then felt a harsh pain as Selene slapped him on the cheek. “Calm down. We need to get out of here and you panicking won’t help.” She helped Bertholdt to his feet as he rubbed his cheek. It wasn’t nice but it was what he needed to stop panicking. She then pointed her frustration at Brady. “Are you trying to get us killed; you fucking imbecile?”

Brady did not honor that with a turn of the head. He was looking around the area. “Don’t like it, find your own way out. But this is the quickest way out of here.”

Bertholdt regained his focus and looked around the area they were in. Populating the ground around him were a plethora of stakes with a collection of heads and skulls. Bertholdt couldn’t help but throw up. Selene jerked away to avoid any splash damage while uttering _gross_ under her breath. “Please don’t tell me we are running……through the monster’s…lair?”

“Alright then. I won’t.” Brady continued to look around and suddenly pointed to an opening in the surrounding forest. “This way.” Brady took off into the clustered forest as Bertholdt followed with Selene behind him.

As they were running, Bertholdt had to know. “Brady. What exactly are we running from? If it’s an Ork, I’m sure we can take him.”

“Not this Ork. Zagstruk da Vulcha (Orkish for Vulture which Bertholdt soon learned afterwards) is a Savage Ork who got his hands on some Stormboy equipment. He already was a master ambusher but with his new toy, his hunting became unpredictable. He hunts anything that comes into his valley; even Orks. That’s why they go around unless they have an army or are desperate.”

“Wait a minute,” Bertholdt shouted from behind him, “the Ork can fly?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question, noodleneck?”

“Both of you shut up and keep moving,” Selene said from the back. The three continued to dodge and dip through the crowded forests. Honestly, Bertholdt had no idea where the person in front of him was leading them. The valley looked the same everywhere he turned and could guess that many got lost in this valley. What was Ghazghkull thinking sending them in here?

“I ZEEZ YUZ RUNNIN’ HUMIEZ! KEEP RUNNIN’ YA GITZ! DA VULCHA LIKEZ ‘IZ MEAT TENDA!”

“Wow. This savage certainly has a need to show his ego. Kind of like the guy up front.” Bertholdt just shook his head at Selene’s comment. Clearly, Brady heard it too.

“Do you really want to start? I will happily stop and let Zagstruk eat you.”

“BE MA GUEZT. ZHE DOES LOOK GUD TO EAT!”

Selene did not say anything after that but Bertholdt could hear the scowl. _What is with these two? Should I just let them fight to the death if we escape?_ Bertholdt was slightly amused by how much he was liking the idea more and more while he was running.

Bertholdt then felt a faint glimpse of cold air blow against his face. _No way. Brady actually led us out of here_. In the valley, it was so cluttered and crowded with trees that the temperature was extremely hot. With a hint of a breeze, Bertholdt knew they were getting close.

Bertholdt tripped on a root as he fell onto the hard ground. _Wait a minute. A hard surface!_ They were out of the valley. At that moment, Bertholdt acted on his emotion and kissed the ground. The next second afterwards, he felt sheer embarrassment when he noticed Brady awkwardly looking at him. Immediately, Bertholdt wiped his face and gave an awkward smile to Brady.

“PIPE DOWN ON DA ‘APPINEZZ!” Brady and Bertholdt turned around to find a huge figure falling towards them. Both boys leaped out of the way before it landed on them. Bertholdt coughed up dust before waving out of the way to look at the looming Orkish figure.

Zagstruk was about as big as Ghazghkull. His muscles were huge, and his teeth were as sharp as elephant tusks. Besides a rocket on his back and a piece of cloth covering his groin area, the Ork was basically nude. However, that showed off his fierce chest and rippling muscles. He was painted with tattoos and blood and strangely, he noticed a military officer’s hat on top of his head. However, he then noticed in his left hand was the struggling figure of Selene.

“Keep still Humie,” Zagstruk spat at Selene. “Alright boyz. Yuz ‘ad a gud run. Now come back ova’ to da Vulcha before I zpill da inzidez of dis gurl.” Selene continued to struggle which only resulted in the obvious squeezing of Zagstruk’s fist around Selene’s neck. “Tik tok humiez.”

Bertholdt looked at Brady. He wanted to give up himself to save Selene but that would get them all killed. He wanted to run off with Brady but his conscious wouldn’t allow that. He was thinking about possibly getting Brady to become Kharn again, but he had the slightest idea of how it worked and what he actually was. Suddenly, he came up with an idea. A suicidal one but at least is was an idea.

“So, the mighty Zagstruk isn’t a warrior after all?” Zagstruk stopped squeezing while Brady looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “All he does is capture people and use them as hostages. Brady, I thought you said this Ork was legendary?”

Brady smirked as he quickly caught on to what Bertholdt was doing. “That’s what I heard. All the Orks talked about how fierce this guy was. The most savage of savages. An apex predator. But alas, I guess he really is just a dumb naked savage.”

Bertholdt could see Zagstruk fuming. If they kept this up, the results were sure to be as Bertholdt hopes. Just a little more. “Maybe those heads are people he didn’t kill. He probably took them from another Ork. He is a vulture after all.”

Brady began to chuckle. “That’s it. That’s why he has a rocket on his back. To fly away like a scared little bird.”

Bertholdt planned to finish it here. “He isn’t a vulture. He’s a chicken.” To finish it off, Bertholdt made a chicken noise.

Zagstruk roared as he threw Selene to the side. “DAT’Z IT! I’M GONNA ZMASH YUZ TO BITZ!” His rocket activated and he flew directly at Bertholdt. Bertholdt quickly jumped out of the way. He got to his feet and Zagstruk made a quick turnaround. He went straight for Bertholdt but was thwacked by Brady’s axe. Zagstruk roared and changed targets and began swinging wildly at Brady with his weird-looking blade.

Bertholdt took advantage and ran over to Selene. He was sure she wasn’t dead, but he could never be certain of anything anymore. He slid to the ground and cradled her head in his hands. She was unconscious. She must have hit the ground hard. Luckily, she was still alive.

Brady then landed right next to Bertholdt. Brady tried to rise but found it hard to get up. _He must still be recovering from his fight against Ghazghkull. He’s not 100% right now._ He then turned to face the angry Ork approaching them. He was smiling and chuckling with such savage intent.

“Dat wazn’t even challengin’. Ztill, yuz will be gud to eat.” Bertholdt panicked and reached for his blade. He then hunched over Selene and pointed his blade at the Ork. “Don’t come anywhere near us.”

“Dat’z funny humie. But I’m ‘ungry and I’m done starving.”

“GET DOWN!”

Bertholdt didn’t hesitate or question as he immediately ducked and covered Selene. Zagstruk looked confused but didn’t have to time to figure out who shouted. Immediately after the warning, gunfire filled the air and bullets began flying and hit Zagstruk with a vengeance. He thrashed and flailed at the fury of bullets until he hit the ground face first.

Zagstruk grumbled and gurgled blood from his mouth. Bertholdt looked up to see the wounded Ork shouting curses at whoever shot him. Bertholdt then noticed a figure approach the Ork. “There’s my hat,” the figure said as a human hand reached down and grabbed the military hat from Zagstruk’s head. Immediately after, the figure plunged a sword into the head of the once feared Savage Ork. Zagstruk went limp after that.

Bertholdt felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Brady rising from the ground. He helped Bertholdt up as Bertholdt picked up Selene in his arms. They both nodded to each other before returning to the figure; who was now cleaning the sword.

They then heard rustling from the valley behind them. They turned to see a heartwarming sight. Humans in torn clothes, combat boots, rifles, and headbands stepped out of the valley and made their way towards them. Bertholdt however, wasn’t sure they were safe yet. He then turned his head towards the approaching figure.

The figure was female and was dressed like an officer. Dressed in a clean military uniform, medals on one side, holster situated on her belt, and a cape following her movement; it was clear she was a very decorated soldier. Bertholdt didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad thing.

He didn’t know what to say or what to do. However, he felt like he had to know. An itching feeling of dread filled his stomach as he asked his question. “Who are you?”

Bertholdt found that his dread only increased and with it, a hint of fear.

“I am Commissar Severina Raine. Second in Command to Lord Commissar Yarrick, Captain of the 11th Antari Rifles Regiment, and Commander of the forces of Armageddon. Now, you will tell me everything I want, and I will take it into consideration not killing you. Now tell me, who are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blood River Valley:  
> The dense jungle leagues away from the city of Armageddon has truly earned its name. Ruthless battles and bloody skirmishes have been waged in the immense valley have resulted in the many deaths of both Terran and Ork. Since the change of command to Commissar Severina Raine, Lord Commissar Yarrick has seen less casualties and more results against the Ork marauders. Perhaps the greatest of her achievements was the thwarting of a huge invasion by the Orks that marched through the valley to flank the city. The Commissar was ready for them thanks to the scouting of Sergeant Marcellus Briggs. The Armageddon forces ambushed the huge Ork army at the riverbed and the Orks stood no chance. Much blood from both forces were spilled; the river turned red thus the name "Blood River Valley."
> 
> Zagstruk:  
> Zagstruk was a powerful Savage Ork that was caught by the Ork Runtherdaz and transferred to Black Crag. Before Kharn, Zagstruk was the merciless champion of the arena and took the heads of many challengers and monsters. When Gorbad ordered a massive invasion through Blood River Valley to hit the city at a weakened area due to the recent failed siege, he paid Zagstruk to act as an enforcer to keep the boyz in line. During Commissar Raine's ambush, Zagstruk went berserk and killed both man and Ork. He engaged Severina in combat only to be hit by a Plasma Gun by Briggs. Forced to retreat, he took her hat as a prize and escaped. He prowls the Blood River Valley to hunt for prey of all kinds and stalks them until he kills them. He is referred to as "Da Vulcha."


	15. Armageddon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody. Thank you once again for all of your reads and kudos as it always motivates me to write this fic I treasure. I would like to take this time to tell you that if you have any questions about Warhammer 40k, Fantasy, or Attack on Titan; feel free to ask me and I will answer them to the best of my abilities. I know that some may not have heard of one or all of them so I would be happy to help. Thank you for your time. Enjoy!

Reiner hopped off of the wagon before the wagon itself came to a stop. Reiner didn’t care about the risk of injury, (not like it would matter) but he had high hopes that they would find something that led them to Bertholdt. He had to have high hopes, or he’d have to accept that his friend was dead.

He wasn’t going to accept that. He just wasn’t and he hoped his faith would pay off.

He stopped when Margaret shouted at him. He obeyed and Margaret and Jerrod led the horses to a tree and tied them to it so they wouldn’t run off. Hand in hand, the two made their way over to Reiner as Annie followed behind them. Reiner looked closer to see Annie looking around cautiously. Reiner was glad she was, they had no idea what was out here or if the snatchers left yet.

Annie wouldn’t let one grab her; let alone touch her. This was one of the few times that he felt safe around Annie.

Together, they began their trek through the woods. Margaret stayed close to Jerrod. It was funny seeing them together. While Jerrod and Reiner were working together, Jerrod had said that before meeting Bertholdt and Margaret, he wasn’t really the brave kid he was now. Before, he was sheltered all his life and harm really never came to him. When he was captured, he said that he cried almost every night; even when Margaret was captured. It wasn’t until Marco and Bertholdt came up with the plan to escape that he felt courage for the first time. After Bertholdt’s sacrifice, he promised himself that he would be more like him. Since then, he had taken up some fighting techniques from soldiers and started working out to be prepared. Reiner had to respect that because in a way, he had done the exact thing when Marcel died.

They trudged through the woods until Margaret recognized the trail they rode through. Jerrod took the lead and was followed closely behind by Margaret and Reiner. Every now and then, he would look back at Annie who continued to serve as his signaler. If she sensed trouble, she would let Reiner know and he would tell the other two to turn around. However, if Annie became worried, he would turn into the Armored Titan and escape. It would probably kill Margaret and Jerrod and if they survived, he knew he would have to leave no witnesses. That wasn’t something he wanted to do considering how nice they have been and are literally helping them find Bertholdt. But if it came down to it, he would do it; even if it left a scar on his soul.

“That’s the house. That’s where they dragged him after capturing him.” Margaret ran towards the house. Jerrod reached out to grab her, but she was already zooming towards the house. Reiner looked at Jerrod who shrugged and followed her. Annie and Reiner followed suit and ran towards the house. After meeting up with the couple, Reiner opened the back door slowly. It creaked loudly but after a few minutes of waiting, no one came.

_No one is here. Good._

Reiner was the first to enter the house. He told the others to stay outside in case he ran into trouble. He ventured through the aging house. Wood was cracked, furniture was ripped, and the walls were starting to fill with vines and moss. It must have been abandoned when the snatchers were using it. After slowly checking the entire house, Reiner whistled to the rest of the group and they wandered in.

After taking their own looks around the house, Reiner led them to the front door. Jerrod and Margaret had looks of confusion on their faces as they walked into the camp. “What is it?” Reiner asked the two.

“It’s just…it’s the same look when we were here. It’s exactly how it was when we escaped.” Reiner and Annie looked at each other; not sure what this actually meant. “Even the horses are still tied to their posts.”

“So is our cage.” The group looked towards Jerrod’s pointing and found a wooden cage that was opened. Jerrod went over with Annie and Reiner while Margaret went to release the horses. “This is even the club Marco used to knock out the guard. We’ve been gone for this long and it’s like nothing has changed.”

“What are you thinking?” Annie asked, “Are you saying that someone should have cleaned this place up by now?”

“That’s what I believed, yes.” Jerrod went into the cage and looked around. He picked up a bucket of water in it and after a minute of starring at it; poured the water out. “This makes no sense. The Kabal is known for cleaning up their messes but there seems to be no sign of anyone being here. I at least thought the snatchers would be back to take their belongings.”

Reiner was getting a mixture of less worry and more worry. There might have been a chance the Kabal didn’t take Bertholdt but on the other hand, there showed no sign of any living person coming back here. _It’s like they vanished._

“Hey guys. Come over here.” The group made their way over to Margaret. She had a big bag on her back which looked extremely heavy. “Look at this.” She opened it to reveal a huge bag of riches and money. It was enough to look like what the inside of a treasure chest would be filled with.

“What sort of bandits would leave behind their stolen riches?” Reiner said while wading through the bag of riches.

“Not good ones,” said Annie sarcastically.

“Well, this only proves that no one has been back here since we escaped. Even Kabalites would take the riches; they’re like carrions.” Jerrod turned and looked around the area. He sighed and turned back to the group. “Good news is that it is looking like Bertholdt wasn’t taken by the Kabal. But…”

Reiner finished the question for him. “But then where would Bertholdt and the snatchers have gone?” Everyone fell silent as Reiner processed everything in his head. “They left without their belongings so they must have all chased Bertholdt because nobody followed you. There also seems to be no sign of them coming back or even being robbed. There are no blood stains or anything here resembling any sort of fight.”

“So maybe they really never came back,” Annie stated. “So, what now?”

Jerrod placed a hand on Annie’s shoulder. Surprisingly, Annie didn’t make a move against him like she would many other people. It stumped Reiner to witness her not receive the counterattack that he was used to getting by Annie. “It’s getting dark. Margaret and I should be able to get the wagon here. We will spend the night here and tomorrow; we can look for his trail.”

He looked to Reiner for approval to which he nodded. Margaret and Jerrod went back the way they came while Reiner and Annie stood there wondering what could have happened to their comrade.

_I hope you are okay Bertholdt. I really do._

……

Bertholdt didn’t know how to feel right now. All he did know was that he was in a transport with an unconscious Selene, an exhausted Brady, experienced soldiers with guns, and the commander of Armageddon who just so happened to be the secret wife of Briggs. All the while, Briggs just happened to be the man who Bertholdt let turn into a Titan.

After they were given treatment by the medics of Severina’s squad, they were ordered into a transport vehicle and Severina ordered the squad back to the city of Armageddon. They had placed Selene on a gurney and placed her in the center of the vehicle with Bertholdt and Brady on opposite sides of her. Meanwhile, Commissar Raine was up front in the passenger seat probably angry about their interrogation earlier. Bertholdt was still shivering about it.

_“I am Commissar Severina Raine. Second in Command to Lord Commissar Yarrick, Captain of the 11 th Antari Rifles, and Commander of the forces of Armageddon. Now, you will tell me everything I want, and I will take it into consideration not killing you. Now tell me, who are you?”_

_Bertholdt didn’t speak at first. He was still shocked about seeing other people around him and not enslaved by Orks. Plus, he was also out of breath from being chased all the way from Black Crag. So speaking was already hard enough._

_The added pressure was the fact that he knew that Severina was Briggs’s wife. He knew that he had to tell her about Briggs but at the moment; he really couldn’t. He still felt guilty and telling her that it was his fault was not something he could easily say. Brady couldn’t tell her since he didn’t know about Briggs and if Selene wasn’t knocked out; she wouldn’t have known either._

_Bertholdt, the only witness to Briggs’s death, couldn’t speak of it. Not now._

_“Answer me or I will have to assume you either spies or cowards and I shoot both on sight. Now tell me who you are. That is an order.”_

_Bertholdt was beginning to sweat. He didn’t know what to do. But he had to say something or else the very person he swore to protect was going to shoot him. After a few seconds, his mind hummed to life and began quickly putting words together._

_“I…I…I am…” Bertholdt then took a deep breath to calm himself down a little. “My name is Bertholdt Hoover. I was…born into Ork enslavement. I escaped along with this girl; Selene and my gladiator…friend here.”_

_Brady stood up straight and awkwardly nodded at the Commissar. “Hello. Uh…Brady McFarland.” The Commissar didn’t even look at him. Her eyes were solely focused on Bertholdt._

_“Before I say anything…” Bertholdt started, “Can someone take a look at her? She helped me escape and I……I want to make sure she is okay.” Brady looked at Bertholdt like he was insane. Briggs did say that Commissars, his wife included, were the enforcers of the Imperium’s law. He knew making demands was possibly a suicide call, but he also knew Severina wasn’t one to rush into things. At least, that is what he hoped he knew._

_“Sergeant.” A soldier ran up to the left side of Severina, stood straight and saluted. “Take the girl to Corporal Lennings and have him give the girl a lookover. Have him do it quickly; we don’t know if any more Orks are about.” The sergeant saluted again and went over to Bertholdt. He kneeled and held out his arms, which Bertholdt gently placed Selene in. With his objective in hand, the sergeant hurried past the Commissar._

_Severina didn’t move her sight off of Bertholdt. “I did what you asked. Now give me answers.” Her steadfast and aggressive nature made Bertholdt step back a step. He was having trouble seeing how Briggs fell for this woman. He guessed he had to take his word for it._

_“We…we escaped from the Orks. I was a slave in…Iron Rock. A few months ago, I was…” he hesitated before saying the next part to her. “I was the personal slave of Warboss Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. I attempted escape but was caught and thrown into Black Crag.” He was very much trying not to stumble on any of his lies. It was harder than he originally thought. “Brady and Selene helped me escape from there. We made our way here.”_

_Commissar Raine didn’t move any muscle. She still glared at the shivering Warrior. Thunder was heard in the distance. Bertholdt then felt droplets of water hit his head. He looked up to find that clouds had covered the sky and it was beginning to rain. He did not notice the change in the weather; mostly because he was in a dense valley running for his life. No sooner did he feel entirely soaked. He returned his gaze back at the Commissar who still didn’t move._

_“You may be telling the truth…” she said. However, Bertholdt’s breath hitched when she pulled a pistol from her holster and pointed it at Bertholdt. “But I cannot take the chance of spies in my city.” She did not seem the least bit conflicted. Brady quickly grabbed his axe and held it; ready to charge. That did not go well as the surrounding soldiers raised their rifles at them._

_“WAIT!” Bertholdt shouted. He held one of his hands in front of himself while also putting the other in front of Brady. This would be a bad time for Kharn to come out, especially now that Brady was no doubt feeling threatened. “I have information. There is going to be an attack on Armageddon. One the city isn’t prepared for.”_

_That not only caught the Commissar’s attention but also the surrounding soldiers as well. They looked at each other in confusion. Severina broke her gaze to glance at the soldiers who were starting to show fear. She returned her concentrated focus to Bertholdt. Her figure was scary before, but the rain and lightning only made her look even more dangerous._

_“What proof do you have?” Bertholdt looked at her with confusion. “What exact proof do you have to back your claims? You could be rambling off, telling me anything so I won’t shoot you. Well unluckily for you, I hate liars so tell me something that will make me believe you. Or I will shoot you like I do any Ork.”_

_Brady growled and began scratching his neck. Bertholdt noticed this and started to panic. That was probably the warning before the berserker in him came out. FUCK FUCK FUCK, he thought to himself. He knew only one way to make her believe him, but it was also the riskiest one. But if didn’t do anything, he would be shot dead or Kharn would be unleashed. He didn’t want to do this, but he was out of options._

_He walked up to the Commissar and stood right in front of her pistol. The barrel touched his chest. He was thankful the woman hadn’t shot him yet, but he was sure she was probably going to shoot him afterwards. He took a quick breath and summoned all the little courage he had in him._

_“Marcellus Briggs, Sergeant of the 32 nd Guardsman squad of Armageddon, sent me on this mission.”_

_There was no movement after that from Commissar Severina Raine. Bertholdt could see the shift in her stature as her eyes released themselves from her fixed stare and lowered to her pistol down to her feet. For a while, no one said anything. Brady still was ready to pounce but didn’t move while the soldiers just looked at their leader. Bertholdt highly doubted that anyone here knew what he knew. Still, no one said or did anything as the rain came down harder and the thunder grew louder._

_He just hoped that the woman in front of him; the woman Briggs devoted his life to and went off into Ork territory to protect, would show mercy and understanding._

_At long last, Severina Raine lowered her pistol resulting in her soldiers following her lead. Bertholdt also motioned to Brady to lower his axe; which he did with a growl. He looked back at Severina with question as she stared at her pistol again. After a forced sigh, she returned it to her holster._

_“See Corporal Lennings so he can examine you. Once you are done, I’ll take you to Yarrick. Then we will see if what you say is true.” She turned away without a second’s hesitation. Before she walked off, she pointed her blade at Bertholdt’s chest. “Be warned. Yarrick is not as understanding as I am. If he even picks up a scent of a lie or untruth, you will die.”_

_She walked off and began ordering her men; leaving Bertholdt shivering more than he was earlier and to swallow the biggest lump he ever had in his throat._

Bertholdt had no idea what was awaiting him in the city that was named after an alleged doomsday. Truth be told, Bertholdt really didn’t want to think about it.

He just hoped that he could muster up the courage to tell Severina about her secret husband. According to Briggs, they also had a son together and he was no doubt under the care of the fearsome Commissar. Despite Bertholdt’s fear of her, he still had to tell them. He had no right to keep it from them. Every family deserves to mourn the loss of a member, even if it did result in rage-driven actions of the family.

Bertholdt looked over at Brady. The warrior looked at him and they didn’t say anything. They were under watch by the Commissar’s soldiers and both didn’t feel like inviting questions upon themselves. Bertholdt just did his best to communicate with Brady silently. Luckily, it was easy for Brady to catch on.

_Brady, are you okay?_

Brady nodded. _I’m okay. How are you?_

Bertholdt shrugged. _I don’t know._

Brady raised an eyebrow. He folded his arms and slightly faked shivering. _Worried about Armageddon?_

Bertholdt nodded. _Yeah. Should I?_ Bertholdt made a questioning glance.

Brady didn’t answer immediately. He put his palms together in prayer form and brought them close to his chest. _Let’s hope not._

……

Orkimedes continued to bark orders from his overlook as his Mekboyz and remaining _Gretchins_ continued to weld scrap together, move containers of lightning around, and run tests on his machines.

Orkimedes was on a tight schedule. According to Warlord Gorbad before he left to go to Black Crag, they were scheduled to attack Armageddon soon. Gorbad didn’t really give him a straight answer but whenever Gorbad felt the time was right, he would order his forces to move out. This was not a blessing for Orkimedes however. He went through every day making sure he could get as much done as possibly so his machine would run as efficiently as possible. He was exhausted every day and at this point; sleep was nonexistent for the Big Mek.

However, his partners had not delivered the key ingredient to his machine and thus, have kept his ultimate plan on hold. This was enraging to him as he had sent Titan Lightning canisters to the ‘leader’ of the alliance secretly over the last couple of weeks. Of course, he knew that in all likeliness, they were betraying him. However, he had something they wanted particularly the leader. If he was getting played, he would make sure that the leader didn’t get his prize.

But there was slight happiness in the Mad Ork’s demeanor. Since the near destruction of Iron Rock, Gorbad saw Orkimedes’s weapon as the greatest priority right now. With his command, he made sure all _Gretchins_ were sent to Big ‘Un Mountain. It seemed that some Great Klans and smaller tribes were holding out and after Gorbad gave them a good thumping, Orkimedes gained the last of the _Gretchins._

Orkimedes tallied up to about 12,052 _Gretchins_ having lost their lives working on his project with about a good 2,000 of them turning into Titans or Titan energy and a good 5,000 more of the population being executed or fed to the Titans. Then again, Orkimedes didn’t care about the lives of his lowly slaves. Upon their backs would he ascend to godhood and rule the world with an iron fist. Not even his partners would question his rule after that.

Orkimedes snapped out of his dreaming when he heard the loud banging at his door. Orkimedes wasn’t sure if he wanted to answer or not. However, before he got the chance to decide, the door burst from its hinges and sent flying across the room. Orkimedes angrily huffed but quickly recomposed himself as Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw angrily stepped into the room.

“Warlord. How’z can I help ya today?”

Gorbad did not answer and went over to the table stationed in the middle of Orkimedes’s overlook. He then began slamming his fists on it in rage, breaking it into pieces and even after that, he still let loose his rage and anger. Afterwards, he bellowed in rage and grabbed the necks of two nearby _Gretchins_ working in the overlook. They didn’t panic long because he slammed their heads into the ground immediately killing them.

“Have ya calmed down now boss?”

“Watch what ya say Orkimedes. I am not in the mood.” With that, Orkimedes took that to heart and didn’t speak. He let his Warlord regain his calm composure (what could be considered calm for an Ork anyways) and leaned against one of his terminals. There was no way Orkimedes was going to argue with the Warlord. Gorbad had killed bigger foes for lesser reasons.

“What da problem boss?” Orkimedes said slyly. “Problemz wiff da invasion? I be zure I can ‘elp yuz out.” Of course, Orkimedes wanted Gorbad out of the way so listening to his weaknesses right now would help him achieve his destiny.

Gorbad just growled and brushed the blood and scrap off of his fists. “It be Ghazghkull. It turnz out he waz plottin’ against me.” Orkimedes felt so light he had to fight against himself to not laugh and cheer in glee. He was always trying to figure out how to get rid of the strongest Ork since Grimgor and he had gone and done it for him. “Don’t look zo ‘appy Orkimedes. I know ya wanted ‘im gone.”

Orkimedes just shrugged and smiled. “Well to zay dat dere waz no ‘ate between us would be underztatin’ it a mighty bit. But ztill, he and I worked to make dis invasion of Armageddon da last; until today dat iz.” Gorbad went to the windows of the overlook. “What did he do?” he asked as he approached his Warlord.

Gorbad clenched his fists and snarled loudly; clearly signaling to Orkimedes to back off. Orkimedes took that suggestion and stopped moving. “He saved da _Gretchin_ child who destroyed Iron Rock and caused chaos in Black Crag. He believed dat I ‘ave led da Orks from bein’ Orky and destroying our tradi’zhionz. He zaid dat Grimgor would be ashamed of me.” With that last statement, he smashed his fist through the window.

“Believed?” Orkimedes said trying to not announce his annoyance of Gorbad’s destruction of his overlook. “Does dat mean…?”

Orkimedes swiftly found his neck in the tight fist of Gorbad as he was slammed against the wall. He worriedly looked at his Warlord who was fuming. Clearly, Orkimedes should not bring up the fact that the Warlord basically killed his own brother. Then again, Orkimedes cared not but he still had to be careful of the Ork’s anger.

“ENOUGH. TALKIN’.” Orkimedes nodded and was dropped to the floor. Gorbad stood there looking at the struggling Orkimedes as he rose steadily to his feet. “Talk about dis again to me or any otha’ Ork and I will take ya head. I don’t care howz important ya are.” Orkimedes wanted to roll his one normal eye but he just nodded. “Gud,” uttered Gorbad.

“Now, I be movin’ up our plan to invade Armageddon. Da boy escaped due to…da former Warboss’z interrup’zhion. He no doubt iz on his way to warn Yarrick about da upcomin’ attack.” Gorbad snarled at the mention of the Lord Commissar. “I wantz yuz to wrap up ya project. Yuz ‘ave been given’ enough time. Da Waaagh be movin’ out zoon and I want to annihilate da humies. Yuz are out of time Orkimedes. I expect da things I was led to believe about dis weapon of yourz. Do not disappoint me.”

With that, Gorbad Ironclaw made his way to the exit of the overlook. “By da way Big Mek,” Orkimedes found Gorbad turning back to face him, “I be makin’ yuz ma new Warboss. Be sure dat I don’t make da zame mistake as Ghaz.” With that, he turned his shoulder and left.

“Oh, don’t worry Warlord,” Orkimedes muttered as he walked towards the broken window and looked out at the progress he had made, “yuz haven’t zeen noffin’ yet.” Orkimedes finally let out his laughter, placing his Power Klaw on his forehead while he imagined the dead body of his nemesis and rival; Ghazghkull Thraka being torn apart by Gorbad’s wyvern.

……

“Wake up boy.” Bertholdt was shaken awake by a soldier in the middle of a well-deserved rest. After all the fighting, running, and stressing, he was in a place where he felt safe; at least for the moment. The drive had gone on for hours and he couldn’t help but fall asleep out of pure exhaustion. It was a bumpy ride, but he was out like a light.

No cryptic dreams or terrifying nightmares plagued him while he slept. He didn’t know whether it was a good thing or bad thing but Bertholdt just took it as it was.

Bertholdt looked over to see how Brady was doing. To the normal person who didn’t know him, he looked to be doing fine but was on the fidgety side. But Bertholdt knew more than the normal person; or at least he thought so. Brady was scratching his arm furiously, as if he was nervous of what was going to happen. Bertholdt didn’t know if he was keeping Kharn back or letting him take control. Bertholdt hoped the first option was the right one.

Then there was Selene. She was still unconscious, but the combat medic seemed to patch her up okay. The medic had wrapped some bandages around her head and right shoulder as she had dislocated it when Zagstruk threw her to the ground. She was breathing evenly and Bertholdt could tell she was sleeping it off. Bertholdt hoped that she was seeing something nice in her dreams. She didn’t deserve all that had happened to her.

The vehicle they were in slowly halted. Bertholdt heard some muffled shouts outside of the vehicle. One he recognized as the Commissar while the others were a farther away. He wanted to look out of the closed windows, but he didn’t know how the soldiers would react. So he sat there listening to the exchange of words between the outside voices. Then he heard a loud grinding noise coming from the front of the vehicle. It sounded like a huge gate opening; as he had heard the gate of Wall Rose before he was abducted.

After the noise went silent, the vehicle was on the move again, this time at a slower pace. Bertholdt took a risk and after an hour hade passed, he stood up to look out of the window. No soldier stopped him.

When Bertholdt opened the window, he was baffled by what he saw. Outside the vehicle, lie numerous tall buildings, towers that belched smoke, and millions of people crowding the walkways and streets. The first thing he noticed was that every building here seemed to be made of metal, steel, and brick. Back in Marley, the buildings were made of stone, wood, and concrete. This wasn’t anything like Marley as it seemed each building was readied to take a beating or be invaded.

He marveled at the sights that filled him. The city of Armageddon stretched to as far as Bertholdt could see of the horizon. They passed into the industrial center where factories and mills filled their skies with smoke. He found many men and women scooping up coal and other materials to fill the forges while he saw lines of rifles and weapons running on its own. The people looked tired and exhausted; but it was clear they were not being overworked like the Orks made them.

The sky soon cleared when they entered the main civilian area. The vehicle passed through many markets that sold food and materials. Some patrols of armored soldiers passed by along with a moving machine on two legs; about the size of 7 meters. Suddenly, the soldiers then stood and looked to the opposite side to where Bertholdt was standing. Bertholdt squeezed between two of them to look outside. He found himself staring at a shining building made of gold and silver. It looked like a temple or church of some kind. However, that was not what Bertholdt found the soldiers to be focused on.

In front of the temple stood a statue made of stone. The stone figure was tall and massive. He was wearing heavy armor that was about three times the size of the wielder. Even his shoulderplates were vastly bigger than Bertholdt’s head. Within the figures right hand was a long sword that was painted red while in the other was a gauntlet with sharp talons for fingers. His armor was decorated with sigils of two headed eagles all around and his long hair covered the figure’s ears. On his forehead laid what Bertholdt could only describe as a crown. _King? General?_ Bertholdt didn’t have the slightest clue but some instinct told him that he knew him from somewhere.

He looked to the soldiers next to him and found them bowing their heads and muttering what Bertholdt assumed were prayers. Bertholdt had no idea whether they were praying to the statue or the temple. Whatever it was, the soldiers resumed their grim composures and returned to their seats.

Bertholdt sat down in his seat as well. He had finally reached Armageddon; exactly as he promised Briggs. Now here he was close to his wife and assumingly on his way to meet with Yarrick himself. Bertholdt was still terrified of what was going to happen but a small part of him felt…redeemed. Bertholdt liked the feeling even if it felt like it was fleeting.

After another hour, the vehicle finally halted. Immediately, the soldiers stood up and opened the back and filed out. All that was left was Bertholdt, Brady, and Selene. Bertholdt didn’t want to move without being instructed to move. A soldier came back and motioned for the boys to come out. Brady tensed and Bertholdt reacted by nodding at him. Brady hesitantly nodded back and the two slowly exited the vehicle.

Bertholdt looked up to see what looked like a huge military base. Lined with turrets and what seemed like massive tanks, the place looked armed to the teeth and nigh impossible to break into. The base was crowded with guardsmen and soldiers as they either marched, walked causally, ate, or stood guard. Both men and women were armed with rifles and average armor as the moved around the courtyard. _This must be the army of Armageddon_.

“Awed by the sight?” Bertholdt turned to see Brady walking towards. Brady stopped next to him and watched the commotions of the base. Bertholdt had no idea what his iffy companion was thinking right now. “A civilization built on war. To always be prepared for anything. Ready to do whatever to ensure the survival of her people. Willing to do what is necessary; even if it is harsh.”

Bertholdt didn’t know how to respond to that. He had read many books about the wars fought in the name of people and their beliefs. There was always a purpose behind the fighting such as resources and political power. He learned from a young age that corruption was always dwelling in the roots of every civilization. He didn’t rule out that the Imperium had its fair share of greed and selfishness, but something seemed different about it. From what Briggs described it, they were a dying civilization who faced death every day. They would bend and not break but everything they did, it was for their survival.

“Noodleneck…” Brady turned back and faced Bertholdt. Bertholdt wasn’t sure where this was going. “I want to…um…th-thank you. You had every right to leave me behind after what I did to you…but you didn’t. If you don’t mind…I’d like to know why.”

“I already left good people behind…I wasn’t going to leave another.” Both Brady and Bertholdt were surprised by the quick response. Oddly, Bertholdt didn’t even hesitate in his answer. They both looked at each other when suddenly, Brady smiled.

“Thanks…Bertholdt.” Brady then reached into his pocket inside of his shirt. He fiddled around in there for a minute and took out a ring. Bertholdt raised his eyebrow as he watched his movement. Brady looked at Bertholdt for a minute and then held out his hand; ring on his palm. “This belongs to you.”

 _What?_ Bertholdt thought but didn’t actually say. Not knowing what to say, Bertholdt reached out and took it from Brady. _What is this? How is it mine?_ “When they first took you to Black Crag, I looted this from you. It was on your finger and I thought you were dead so I took it so maybe I could sell it for food. When you came to, I just kept it.”

“But…why give this back to me?”

“Because…” Brady looked down at his feet and didn’t look back up when he answered. “Not only did you survive the onslaught of Kharn, but you had to chance to kill me and leave me for dead. And you didn’t. I figured…you deserved my token of thanks.”

Bertholdt looked at the ring. He sensed something familiar about it. He felt like it had a purpose, but he just couldn’t remember. He put it in his pocket and planned to figure out later.

He turned along with Brady to meet the heavy sound of marching boots heading straight for him. The Commissar, sword and pistol tucked away, walked up to him and stared at him again. He was almost as tall as her and he knew he would no doubt pass her in height but the way she stared and sized him up made him feel so small.

“You are coming with me to the Lord Commissar and his counsel. You are going to discuss everything you know with him. If he judges you worthy and truthful, he will decide what to do with you and the information. However, if the Lord Commissar doesn’t believe you…” she motioned to the wall not too far away from them. Bertholdt paled when he saw dead guardsmen leaning against the wall. “…He will surely see to it that you will be the firing squad’s final target today.”

 _And there’s the abandonment of safety. Have I learned anything?_ Bertholdt nervously thought to himself.

“Your friend will go with the medic to an infirmary. There, he will make sure that she gets the proper care she deserves. You will come with me. Are you ready?” Bertholdt gulped and was starting to think that he should run or back out. But he stood firm, remembering Briggs and all the Bertholdt had been through. No, he was doing this and for once in his life, he will go through with it; no matter the danger.

“I’m ready.”

……

_He was hurting. He had never been in such pain. He had fought hordes of monsters, madmen, and demons with nothing but his fists. He had ripped heads from shoulders, cleaved bodies with his axe, and stood with Grimgor as he united the Orks like never before._

_Now, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka lay on the ground, feeling something he thought he would never feel; agony. His legs were torn from their place and were in the stomach of a wyvern. His right arm was decaying a little away from him. His head was cracked open and his bones were broken._

_Ghazghkull wanted nothing more than to die. He couldn’t stand the pain anymore. He wanted someone to end it. But his former mountain-brudda left him to die without an honorable death. It was the ultimate punishment for his betrayal._

_As much as Ghazghkull hated it, he deserved this. He knew full well what he had done and he made his choice. He wanted to save the Orks from falling into corruption and madness and from leaving behind their honor and tradition. He was blind to their fall and when he opened his eyes, he realized how low they were._

_Then there was Bert’oldt. It was in the scared yet powerful humie that the Orks could be saved. He could warn Armageddon and he also had the power to save it too. No matter how much he didn’t believe in himself, the Ork knew that he was meant for great things. He pinned all his hopes on him and from the way Gorbad acted when he came back to see him; Bert’oldt had gotten away._

_Now, he would take his death with dignity and pride. He looked up at the sky where the sun was setting. It was funny. Like all Orks, he never really cared about nature or the lives of anything; despite that being what the One who Creates stood for. If it wasn’t for Grimgor, he would still be that ignorant Ork. He had learned from Grimgor, Wurrzag, and Bert’oldt just how big and powerful the world he lived in was. As he looked at the colored sky, he saw what they all tried to see in the world._

_Beauty._

_He wondered if he would be let into the fighting fields of the One Who Creates; fighting with the worthy and very best of all Orkdom. He wondered if Grimgor would be there to greet him. Grumlok, Gazbad, and his fellow Orks that had stood beside him in many battles. He smiled. He knew the answer and he wasn’t afraid to die._

_“Ghazghkull,” someone said off in the distance. Ghazghkull looked through his blurry and bloodied vision to see who was calling him but he couldn’t. It was a miracle for him to even see the sun setting but he couldn’t see the world around him. He couldn’t recognize who it was. Grimgor? Grumlok? Was it one of his Orks bringing him to the One Who Creates?_

_“Ghazghkull.” He recognized the voice; one he should have listened to. “You are broken and your body is dying. But your part in the Time of Ending is coming. It is time to finally accept your destiny. At last, I have found the Ork of Metal and Honor.”_

……

Nothing but the echoes of footsteps as Bertholdt and Commissar Raine walked through the building that the guardsmen called Field Command. Throughout the building, Bertholdt watched as high-ranking officers and soldiers passed by. They were conversating with others as they looked over plans and pictures of the layout of Armageddon and other battlefields.

 _How exactly did Briggs and Severina actually have time to become a family? It seems like you can’t even leave here if you are conscripted._ It was a tough question that Bertholdt wasn’t ready to ask. He just hoped that when there ever was a time when he and Severina were alone, he could tell her about Briggs.

It wasn’t long before the two stopped in front of a door. Severina made sure that her uniform was looking sharp and had no creases or folds. Bertholdt was starting to sweat and slowly panic. He kept telling himself to calm down but being the cautionary person he was, he knew he had to be prepared for anything.

Severina cleared her throat, signaling to Bertholdt that this was it. Bertholdt was starting to shake but he kept it to a minimum and nodded his head. With that, Severina opened the door and walked through with Bertholdt in tow.

The first thing Bertholdt saw was a vast room filled with banners of Armageddon and large symbol of a two head eagle in the middle of the floor. He assumed that it was the symbol of the Terran Imperium. He looked up to see a table that was C shaped and was covered with papers and pistols. Behind the table sat many figures of who he assumed to be the counsel of Yarrick. Many of them looked like military figures, wearing military berets and decorated uniforms while others looked odd to Bertholdt.

One was wearing robes and had the donning of what looked to be a religious figure. Another was covered in a red hood but looked to the Warrior that tech had replaced his skin. The one next to him was an armored figure who sat still but had a long sniper rifle placed next to him while the one on the opposite side of the table sat a smaller man with wires in his brain and a long staff with a two headed eagle on top of it. He was weirdly rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache.

Severina motioned for him to stay against the wall. Gulping, Bertholdt did as she said and metaphorically glued himself to the wall. Once again, he wasn’t going to do anything unless he was told to. He figured that was his best chance to get out of here alive.

The Commissar made her way around the table and sat down next to the big empty chair in the middle. Bertholdt knew who that chair belonged to and was trying to imagine what the Lord Commissar would be like. For some reason, he was thinking of Commander Magath. From what Briggs described Yarrick as, he seemed to have some similarities with the Warrior Program’s commander. Of course, Magath was not a cruel and merciless officer like Yarrick supposedly was. However, if you were charged with defending against the barbaric tides of Orks, Bertholdt guessed that one would have to be.

“All rise.” A guardsman in the back of the room stated. Every person at the table stood. The military officers saluted while the non-military just stood in recognition. The Commissar then nodded at the guardsman and the guardsman quickly opened the doors. “All recognize Lord Commissar Sebastian Yarrick; Lord of Armageddon and Commander of the Southern Guard.”

Through the doors marched a tall man who walked with such authority and power. He was decorated almost exactly like Severina but his shoulders were different and more medals populated his uniform. However, the thing that really made Bertholdt nervous was the necklace he wore. Dangling on a piece of string was an entourage of Ork teef; each different from the other. Ghazghkull had said that Yarrick was a figure the Orks hated as he had killed many Orks by himself.

Bertholdt all of a sudden felt like not talking to the man.

Lord Commissar Yarrick nodded to his counsel after looking around at all of them. “At ease,” he said as he lowered himself into his chair. With that, the rest of his counsel sat in their chairs and began discussing propositions and plans. For the most part, the Lord Commissar didn’t speak, and the floor was usually in the hands of his counsel. They would throw out ideas for plans or announce news to him. He would say a few words about the issues and that would be that. Bertholdt had been told that the Lord Commissar was a man of actions, not words. It was clear he was meant to be on the battlefield and not in the Command building. Perhaps Yarrick hated being Lord Commissar just like he hated being the Colossal Titan.

While he was waiting for his inevitable call, he ran his story through his head as many times as he could. He wanted to keep his identity as the Colossal Titan to himself. He certainly had no idea if any of them knew what it was or not, but he couldn’t chance it. If Brady remembered the world he came from, then it was certainly impossible for him to be the only one. He also was having trouble figuring out a way to back his story with evidence. He wasn’t sure if he should mention Ghazghkull’s involvement since he helped him get here. Yarrick was Ghazghkull’s archrival and though he was sure they mutually respected each other, there was certainly lots of bad blood between them.

It had been hours since he had arrived in this room. They were still droning on about taxes, guardsmen recruiting, and outside Ork threats. Bertholdt was starting to wonder how his ‘companions’ were doing right now.

“Lord Commissar. I would like to bring something up to you.” Bertholdt cringed as he heard Severina speak up. She was also quiet for the majority of the meeting as well and she only spoke when she was asked questions or Yarrick looked to her for advice. But now it was time to bring up the elephant in the room.

“This morning when my soldiers were scouting out the terrain for any Ork raiders, we encountered the infamous Zagstruk. We were finally able to eliminate the savage and I personally put him down. We can now resume scouting operations in Blood River Valley and safely set up more ambush sites to cover our flank.” Yarrick nodded at this; seemingly pleased with the news. “However, we did encounter something else at that time.”

Bertholdt gulped as Commissar Raine looked over to him and motioned for him to step forward. Bertholdt was having trouble taking his first step forward. There was only another time in his life where he felt exactly like this before. It was the moment he stepped into the huge room with his Titan’s predecessor chained and ready to be eaten. Even when Warchief Zeke gave him confidence that day, he had a hard time taking that first step.

After what seemed like forever but really only a minute, Bertholdt slowly stepped forward until he was in the center of the room; exactly in the middle of the two headed eagle.

“We found this boy and two other young children in the valley. It was because of them my Antari Rifles were able to kill Zagstruk. According to this one,” she motioned towards Bertholdt, “he was the slave of Ghazghkull Thraka and escaped the hostile’s stronghold of Black Crag.” Bertholdt started to shrink in fear as the name of his Ork friend made the Lord Commissar clench his fist. “He states that he has made his way here to inform you and the people of Armageddon of an invasion that we are not prepared for.”

Yarrick looked towards Bertholdt as the rest of his counsel began to mutter and exchange words with each other. Yarrick brought his hands together and placed them against his face in thought. Bertholdt felt like the Lord Commissar was breaking him down second by second. He then held up one of his hands; instantly quieting the group. He then went back to his original thinking state while silence _filled_ the room.

Not long after, Yarrick spoke. “Name.”

Bertholdt gulped and tried not to sound scared but that was impossible. This man shout fear into Bertholdt more than any man, creature, or Titan could ever do. _Answer. Don’t make him wait._ “B-B-Be-Bertholdt…Hoover, sir.”

“Tell me what you know. Now. And for the sake of your life; do not lie to me.”

Bertholdt gulped as much fear down his throat as he possibly could bit that only resulted in a huge lump in his throat. Regardless, he pushed through it to tell his story. He started with the lie that he was born into Ork enslavement. They did not seem to question him on that as they had no idea what it actually was like. He explained that one day, he met Briggs two days after his capture and along with Bertholdt; was put up for auction. He explained that he was bought by the Warboss while Orkimedes bought Briggs. He left out the part where he made an Ork’s head explode.

He went on to explain that as he continued to work for Ghazghkull, he overheard Warlord Gorbad creating an invasion plan with the Warboss and said that this time he would be relying on the secret weapons of the Big Mek. With this, Bertholdt said he ordered every slave to Big ‘Un Mountain to work on his machines. He said he was sent in there as well along with Briggs. He then told them about Orkimedes’s experiments with Titans; which garnered some shocked faces from some of the counsel. That was when he said he tried to escape with Briggs telling him to warn Armageddon. He looked at Severina but he found no change in her facial expression. He continued to talk, leading up to his escape from Black Crag with the help of Brady and Selene. Throughout the entire story, Yarrick patiently listened to every detail Bertholdt told him about and said nothing after Bertholdt finished his half truthful story.

Anxious, Bertholdt stood still waiting for the Lord Commissar to issue a verdict. However, he sat in his chair processing everything he had told him. Suddenly, the man who Bertholdt assumed had a headache walked over to Yarrick and whispered in his ear. That was when Yarrick stood up and out of nowhere, grabbed a saber from beneath the table. He then began walking over to Bertholdt; which Bertholdt did not like.

“I can see the truth in your story. However, I am not entirely convinced. There do seem to be some…holes in your story. As a person of the same race, I am inclined to believe you.” Yarrick moved closer to Bertholdt but began walking along the outline of the table; circling Bertholdt like he was a predator. “But for all I know, you could be a heretic.”

_Heretic?_

“My Primaris Psyker…” he motioned to the man who was rubbing his head, “has communicated with me that he senses an energy within you that resembles what we call Warp energies. He has told me that he senses the Warp inside of you; like many of the heretics and traitors on the Dark Continent. Normally, I would execute you here and now, but I find that I can’t. You say that you were born into Ork captivity and yet; there is no evidence of chaos corruption there. So tell me exactly how you came to have these energies?”

 _Shit._ He looked at the man who was still rubbing his head. _He must be like Wurrzag, he can sense the Colossal. Warp energies? The hell does it mean?_ It didn’t matter. Bertholdt knew he had to give the Lord Commissar something or he would die. _Wait a minute. Dark Continent. Is that where he said heretics come from? Of course._

“Before I was born, the Orks spoke of a time known as…um…Da Last Big Fight.” Bertholdt was grateful that it seemed that Yarrick and some of the counsel reacted to that. Bertholdt guessed that they must have heard about it. “Before Gorbad became Warlord, a huge army of…heretics and demons…appeared in the lands of the Orks and began wiping them out. The enemy was defeated and pushed back. It is possible that I could have been born when the taint was still fresh.” Bertholdt didn’t know why he said this afterwards, but he couldn’t control himself. “And…they blame you for it.”

Yarrick growled and looked towards his counsel. “That explains the continuous assaults on our city. They are out for blood and they believe us to be responsible for some reason.” Yarrick then turned back to the boy. “Regardless of what they think or your exposure to Warp energies, I still need proof. It is clear that you were helped along the way. Despite what you claim, I find it impossible for you to escape Black Crag without the help of an army. I also doubt the fact that you escaped Gorbad without distracting him. So, help me fill in those holes…NOW!”

Bertholdt mentally cursed. This man was the leader of this city for a reason. He should have known that he could not have entirely fooled Yarrick. The only way he could possibly believe him was if he revealed Ghazghkull’s involvement. But the risk was that Yarrick would believe him even less. He managed to throw the Colossal Titan reveal out of the picture, but he was certain that he couldn’t avoid this detail.

“War…Warboss Ghazghkull Thraka helped me escape and sacrificed himself to get me here.”

The counsel then erupted, claiming that Bertholdt was a heretic, spy, and liar. Some of the officers demanded his head while the others wanted him made an example. Severina and Yarrick did not move but Bertholdt had to drive his point through the Lord Commissar’s head. “SILENCE!” With that, the shouting and accusations ceased in an instant. He then looked to Bertholdt to continue his statement.

“He believed the Orks were losing their honor and tradition. Ghazghkull believed that Orkimedes was harvesting and experimenting with…uh, Warp energies, and began building weapons with Gorbad’s approval. I’ve seen it. One blast can disintegrate a living thing in seconds. He found that his fears were true and before he could do anything about it…………Orkimedes tested his power on Ghazghkull’s home of Iron Rock.” Yarrick’s grim stature changed to shock as the rest of the counsel took in this information as well. “Ghazghkull’s klan was nearly eliminated and believed that his race would cease if they continued down this path. That is why he helped me escape and continue with Briggs’s mission. He knew that the only one who could stop Orkimedes in his tracks was the rival he respected.”

The counsel didn’t say anything afterwards while Yarrick just stared at Bertholdt. Bertholdt could not imagine what was going through his head right now. Having fought your nemesis so many times only to be told that his nemesis was relying on him to save his species? That was some twisted irony Bertholdt couldn’t stomach.

“One last thing…” Bertholdt looked straight at the Lord Commissar’s eyes. “You said you were sent by Briggs, perhaps one of the best soldiers to ever serve under my command. That information may have gotten you through my gates but give me proof; hard evidence that Briggs sent you. Show me and then I will not kill you for uttering this heretical nonsense.”

It was that moment that Bertholdt remembered a sad revelation. He went from scared to ashamed as he remembered the last moments he had with Briggs. He then reached into his pocket, which brought Yarrick’s saber to his neck. However, Bertholdt continued to feel his pocket until he found what he was looking for.

_“Bertholdt.”_

_Bertholdt looked nervously at Briggs, who was next to him on Valmir’s truck as they were driven through Mad Dog Pass. It had been an hour since they left Big ‘Un Mountain and Bertholdt was growing more and more worried ever minute._

_“I want you to have this.” Briggs reached out his hand and placed something in Bertholdt’s palm. Bertholdt found that it was his wedding ring. Normally, it would be placed around the soldier’s ring finger and he would fiddle with it whenever he was nervous. It reminded him of Annie._

_“Why are you giving me this?” Bertholdt asked, “This is yours. This is the symbol of marriage and love between you and your wife. I can’t keep this.”_

_“I am aware. Trust me, I don’t want to give it up. But if there is a chance I don’t survive this, then I want you to give this to my wife.” Bertholdt was shocked as Briggs continued to speak. “It would be wrong for this to end up in an Ork’s collection and she deserves to have something to remember me by.”_

_“I can’t. You…you will see her again. You have to. You deserve to see her again.”_

_“I pray that I will get that chance. But promise me this one last thing. If I do not make it out of here, give this to her. She deserves to know that I loved her till my end. Please Bertholdt?” Briggs started to shed a tear as he asked Bertholdt this hard promise. Bertholdt looked at the ring and back to Briggs several times._

_At last, he placed the ring on his ring finger and looked back at Briggs. “I…I promise I’ll try…if you d-die.” That was when he embraced Bertholdt in a hug; a tight one at that. Bertholdt didn’t know how to respond at first. He looked at the Black Orks who didn’t seem to care at all. He then returned Brigg’s embrace with one of his own._

_“Thank you Bertholdt. And if you can, tell my wife and son that I loved them.”_

Bertholdt couldn’t help but tear up as he played through the last time he was with Briggs. He had forgotten all about that promise after he transformed into his Titan. He couldn’t help but feel ashamed and it was only thanks to Brady that he could possibly fulfill that promise.

As he held it out for Yarrick to see, the counsel didn’t know how to react. Most of them probably didn’t even know him. But Yarrick and Severina did. He didn’t even look at the Commissar; he was ashamed to.

Yarrick took the ring and looked at it for a minute. He went over to the Commissar and placed the ring in front of her. “Did this belong to Sergeant Briggs, Commissar Raine?” he said in a peculiarly calm tone. There was no answer from the woman for a long time. Bertholdt didn’t even want to imagine how she was feeling right now.

“Yes.”

That was all the Commissar said. The counsel then looked at each other without saying anything. Bertholdt guessed none of them could think of anything to say. Yarrick then turned around without the ring and walked up to Bertholdt. This didn’t seem like the feared Lord Commissar he was told so much about by the Orks. He seemed…human.

“How did he die?”

Bertholdt bit his lip. How was he supposed to say he turned into a Titan? He might as well be dead but of course, that wasn’t entirely true. But how could he explain that to a possible grieving wife and officer? Besides, there was no way his Titan could have survived the Colossal’s explosion. Bertholdt made up his mind.

“He died saving me from the blast on Iron Rock. He disintegrated and turned to ash. It…It was quick.”

Yarrick did not say anything after that. Instead, he walked to his seat and sat there. For a long time, no one said anything. No one moved, coughed, or made any gesture to talk. Bertholdt no longer felt scared, he only felt sad and possibly heartbroken for the woman that was Marcellus Briggs’s wife; who was still looking at the ring.

To everyone’s surprise, Yarrick stood up and returned to his grim self. “My counsel, it seems the final battle of Armageddon is upon us. A battle of which we have never seen. Orks in numbers we haven’t thought possible are on their way here armed with weapons of Warp-based energies. We must prepare. Ready the soldiers and begin conscripting as many recruits as you can. Ghazghkull believed that with this battle, the war with the Orks will finally end. For once, I will make sure he was victorious.”

……

Orkimedes walked into his private chamber after a long day’s work of shouting, beating, and overseeing the last of his projects. Everything was ready and the big day was soon to be upon him.

He then noticed a small chest placed on his table. It was a mix of the colors of purple and black as the Big Mek felt chills flow through the room. Unafraid, he went over to the chest and opened it.

He smiled cruelly as he realized that his partner had finally delivered what he needed. At last, Orkimedes had everything he needed to not just conquer the Orks; but conquer the planet as well.

Orkimedes began to laugh loudly. Ghazghkull was gone, Gorbad was no longer thinking straight, he gained the energy of the boy’s Titan, and his weapon was finally ready. Now with the last piece of his plan finally in his grasp; no one could stop him now.

“Dis is gonna be phun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Armageddon:   
> One of the two Imperium's Fortress-Cities charged with the trying task of securing the ever shrinking borders of the Imperium. For as long as the people of Armageddon can remember; they have always been on the defense against the relentless Ork hordes. Soldiers are conscripted from a young age and are put through intense training so they can be ready for the enemy. The interior cities believe the soldiers of Armageddon to be quite bigger than others due to their wars with the Orks though it is classified as a rumor. Armageddon continues to stand against the violent tides; resulting in the deaths of many rising Warbosses and Chiefs. As long as it stands; the Terrans have an easier time sleeping.
> 
> Lord Commissar Yarrick:   
> Born on the outskirts of Armageddon, his small town was invaded by the Orks and merciless killed all except him as he shamefully hid under the corpse of his father. Swearing to never be weak again and seek vengeance on Ork-kind, he escaped to Armageddon and was recruited into the Armageddon Guardsmen Corp. He graduated quickly at the top of his class and rose through the ranks until he was made Lord Commissar after his victorious record against the Orks. Under his leadership, Armageddon has withstood up to nearly 14 sieges resulting in a valiant but pyrrhic victories with Yarrick personally beheading the Chiefs and Warbosses leading the assault. It is assumed that he takes their teeth as a trophy to strike fear into the heart of the Orks. Many fear the Lord Commissar as he will willingly sacrifice the lives of his men in order to keep the city standing.


	16. Cruelest of Fates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (TRIGGER WARNING. Implied abuse and gory details are written in the first part of the chapter. Please skip if you do not want to see. I will explain the important details of it in a later chapter so don't worry about missing anything.)  
> Without further ado, it begins...

Bertholdt walked into the infirmary building and leaned against the wall. It had been a few hours since his meeting with Yarrick and after he was dismissed; he felt like checking on his companions. Yarrick made sure that he was rushed in as fast as possible so they could check out his wounds first. They were quite confused when they saw a clear-cut line across Bertholdt’s hand that was previously chopped off by Kharn.

True, it did take Bertholdt unusually more time for it to heal but it eventually returned. Bertholdt still believed that the healing was the only good thing about his Titan. Afterwards, they focused on his bandaged area where he was impaled by Kharn. Unlike his hand, it didn’t heal as fast and when the doctor said that he would be scarred there, Bertholdt just sighed. After the examination, he was patched up with new bandages and was sent back to the waiting room.

He had hoped that the two were okay. It was because of them and the sacrifice of Ghazghkull that he managed to get here. He was happy that they didn’t die, and he just hoped that Selene was awake so he could talk to her. He also wanted to learn more about Brady and his ‘condition.’ If Bertholdt was going to trust Brady (that is, if he continued to assist Bertholdt) then he was going to have to spill it. Bertholdt really did not want to have to deal with Kharn any longer.

A couple more hours of waiting passed as Bertholdt began reminiscing about what had brought him here. He remembered as if it was yesterday that he was just a regular young child running through the forest and playing in the little stream. Sure, his mother and father were fighting about whatever they were arguing over but whenever he was in the forest, he felt at home.

His house never really felt like home as he felt out of place in a way. His mother would constantly badger and belittle her own son as he tried to find happiness in his life while his father kept some distance between him and Bertholdt. Bertholdt never really knew why. Maybe it was because Bertholdt’s father was a doctor and he was too busy to make an effort with Bertholdt. The only time they would ever ‘bond,’ was when his father would teach him how to shoot and fight from a distance.

His father was a soldier in the Marleyan army. He was a highly regarded Eldian conscript who was drafted as a combat medic in many battles against the enemies of Marley. He even impressed some Marlayens in his career. It was funny. Whenever he would talk to friends of his family about his father, they described him as a legendary warrior whose strength knew no bounds and was a tactical genius. His aim with a rifle was flawless and he was a beast in combat. After he retired, he furthered his medical career to become a doctor for the Eldians in Liberio.

Then there was Bertholdt. Sure, he knew how to fire a gun and knew some things about the medical field but in total, he was the total opposite of his father. His father would rush into combat and take action whenever he was engaged or had to fight. Bertholdt would just run like he did when the Titan ate Marcel. He wouldn’t count the breaking of the wall because he was forced to do so.

He felt like little by little, with every day he trained and impressed his father, he would get closer to him and quite possibly form a relationship. But then the sickness came and stuck him in bed for the rest of Bertholdt’s time in Liberio. He wondered how he was doing. He hoped he was still alive and would stay that way until Bertholdt completed his mission. Then he would take him to a real hospital for a Marleyan doctor to take a look at him. That was probably the only selfish reason for him to complete his mission.

_“Bertholdt.”_

Bertholdt found himself flashing back to the last time he spoke with his father.

_“I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve this.”_

_“What do you mean, dad?”_

_“This is my fault. Both of you didn’t deserve this.”_

_“Dad?”_

_“If only I had known what it meant. If I had known what they would do. If I only knew…”_

_“Dad, you’re starting to bleed again. C-c-calm down. I’ll go get mom.”_

_“If you see him again……tell him…that…I’m sorry.”_

_“DAD!”_

“Hoover.” Bertholdt was pulled from his memory as he looked up to see a nurse waving at him. Embarrassed, Bertholdt left the wall and went over to her. “Your friend is awake and is ready to see you. Don’t worry. The blonde has been keeping watch over her, so everything is fine. If you would follow me.”

Eagerly, Bertholdt followed the armored female nurse as she led him through the crowded military hospital. As he walked by several rooms, he saw some disgusting sights he had never seen before. He witnessed a doctor taking off a leg of a wounded soldier, a few soldiers taking bullets out of themselves, and the most disgusting; a doctor taking an eye out of a man. Bertholdt had never seen such harsh injuries of soldiers before as he was always separated from the Marleyan military, so he never saw it.

Those were things he never wanted to see again but was sure he would inevitably be denied that wish.

After a long tour through the halls, he had finally been led to the room his companions were in. It was a small room as many of the other rooms he observed looked like. Selene was situated on the small medical bed while Brady was leaning against the wall, close to Selene’s head. Bertholdt was happy to see that they were okay.

“Take as much as time as you need. She will be staying her tonight so if you want, you can rest here too.” Bertholdt thanked the nurse as she left the room to continue with her daily duties.

“How are you feeling?” Bertholdt asked as he went over to the bed’s side. “You were out cold for the whole trip here.”

Selene huffed. “I’m fine. You don’t need to coddle me.”

“But I’m-”

“Relax Noodleneck. She is a tough one. I’ve asked many times and she has said the same thing,” Brady said with a smirk.

“I trust you even less, brute. I don’t want you to strangle me while you are supposedly massaging my back,” Selene spat.

Brady shrugged while chuckling to himself. “This little spitfire is a real hassle. I like her, despite the fact that the venom is pointed at me. Where did you find this chick noodleneck?”

Bertholdt scratched his head; looking for permission from Selene. After a while, Selene nodded as she slowly leaned back against the bedframe. “Um…during my time as a slave, the Orks were ordered to collect all of them in the shanties to take to Orkimedes. It got violent and her parents were-”

“Murdered. By that monster Orkimedes. He killed my mother right in front of me,” she said as Bertholdt awkwardly looked away. “Her blood landed on my face. It sometimes feels as if I can still feel it on my skin.”

Brady and Bertholdt said nothing after that. The room was filled with silence as no one wanted or even had the strength to say another word after what she said. Bertholdt still couldn’t even imagine how he would feel if he had witnessed something so horrific as losing someone he cared about. He couldn’t stomach losing Annie or Reiner to a fate like that.

“After you saved me, I attacked Wurrzag thinking he was Orkimedes. Instead, he told me I had a part to play in his downfall. That’s why I came to help Ghazghkull rescue you. He… I don’t know, prophesized… that I would assist in saving the Imperium in the darkest hour.”

“Was the Ork drunk as a skunk? Why the hell are you going off the words of an Ork?” Brady asked with confusion.

“He’s not just some Ork. He is the smartest one you will ever know.” Bertholdt got a little closer to Brady. He was not about to let anyone tarnish the name of the only other Ork he knew that treated him with kindness and protected him. “He has weird talents yes but don’t doubt what she is saying. This Ork can wield lightning and basically mind control Orks. If what she said is true, then I believe him.”

“Listen. All I’m saying is that this Ork might be crazy. That’s all.”

“Ironic coming from a mindless berserker,” muttered Selene.

Brady clearly did not like that insult. “What’s that supposed to mean, bitch? Just because mommy died doesn’t mean you can throw mud on me.”

“You’re lucky I’ve been resigned to this bed or I would slice that ego out of your throat.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!” Bertholdt had never been so angry at anyone in his life. He didn’t think it possible but these two were worse than Reiner and Annie. His comrades would argue about the mission, but they would hardly talk to each other after that. These two had hardly known each other for a whole day and already they were at each other’s throats.

_THEY ARE IDIOTS. LEAVE THEM TO THE ORKS. THEY ARE NOT WORTH SAVING._

Bertholdt covered his ears, shocked by the loud voice in his head he had not heard for a while. He fell to his knees, trying his best to push out the ringing in his ear.

Luckily, his outburst caused Selene and Brady to stop shouting at each other. Brady after a moment of idleness, went over to help Bertholdt up. He immediately brought his hand back as he grunted in pain. “Damn it. Why the hell are you as hot as lava right now?”

Bertholdt paled. _Shit_. He didn’t want to tell them that he was a Titan. Sure, he told his secret to the Orks but that was because they figured out. But he was not going to tell Selene, Brady, or anyone in Armageddon that he was the Colossal Titan. If Brady remembered the other world, he assumed that there were others who knew about the Titans.

“I… I think you are overreacting. My skin is fine.” Bertholdt had a slim idea of thinking that was going to win Brady over or not.

“Jeez. Maybe it’s just your normal temperature but damn,” Brady said as he continued to shake his hand of pain.

After a while, the room once again fell to silence as the trio didn’t know what to do next. To Bertholdt, he had done what he had promised. He had made it to Armageddon and inadvertently told Briggs’s wife of his death. He shouldn’t be here now. He should be off looking for a way back home if there was one.

But he really had no clue. The only clue he had to follow up on was the word _Prospero_. Of course, he knew nothing of that, so he was basically stuck on square one.

There was also the elephant in the room that Bertholdt wanted to ask. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was going to get out of it, but he had to know.

“Brady, answer me honestly. Is Kharn… another side of you? Like a split personality?”

It felt like the air had left the room and everyone was holding their breathes. Selene nervously looked at Bertholdt as if she was saying _What the Hell?_ But Bertholdt had to know. If he wanted to trust Brady again, he had to know about Kharn. Brady looked back and forth from Bertholdt to Selene to his hands. Bertholdt wasn’t sure if he was actually going to tell him.

At last, he sighed and slid down the wall he was leaning on until he was on the ground. “Yes… and no. Growing up, I had… issues with my temper. Whenever I got super enraged or angry, I would lash out and become more violent than I was before. But it didn’t manifest into a persona. At least…”

Bertholdt and Selene looked at each other. Selene then brushed off her medical blankets and sat on the edge of the bed, facing Brady. She and Bertholdt knew that whatever it was, it was traumatic for Brady. “At least… what?” Selene asked gently for the first time Bertholdt has ever heard.

Brady looked to her and then to Bertholdt. It was strange when Bertholdt saw that the strongest warrior he had ever witnessed began to shake.

“One night, my father came home from his shift in the Military Police. He was drunk as usual and I was getting ready to be punished after he said I had disappointed him. This time however, he tied me to a chair and told me to listen carefully. He then went to my sister’s room…” Brady shifted uncomfortably as a tear welled in his right eye. “I heard him hitting her. She didn’t do anything, but my father was punishing me by hurting her. That’s when I… I broke the rope and grabbed his ODM sword. I charged into the room and shoved it through his stomach. While he was bleeding, I shoved him to the floor and punched him in the face multiple times. I was so angry that I didn’t know I killed him until I realized I crushed his skull.”

“The men outside heard the screams. I told my sister to run and hide. I didn’t want her to be blamed for my actions. When the soldiers came, they arrested me, and I was hauled off to prison. That’s when he came. The man with the… the bright eyes came along with the tall gray-haired man. They said I wasn’t like anyone they had seen. So, they took me… there.” Brady started shaking more uncontrollably, obviously remembering events he did not want to remember. “The gray-haired man, he… he tortured me, experimented with me at his prison. I wasn’t the only one there. Tons of other people were there. Men, women, kids. He experimented on them as well. But me… he said I was his favorite project.”

“That was when…” Brady started to tear up and pulled himself tighter into a ball. “That was when he cut my head open. I still remember the pain as he did. I was 11 and he was cutting my head open for fun. He then shoved nails into my brain. He said that now whenever I’m angry or threatened, the nails enflame my temper, making me a berserk monster. My mind would be forcefully shoved into tunnel vision as my new personality tore anyone to shreds. I would get bigger, stronger, and denser, the perfect killing machine he said.”

“That’s how Kharn was made.” Bertholdt needed no more information to deduce that. “Who would allow such a thing to happen to you? What villain would let this happen to anyone?”

“Humanity,” Brady said as Bertholdt felt the breath leave him. “The fucking government and military allowed it. I saw Scouts, Military Police, Garrison, and even government officials roaming around. ‘For the advancement of humanity,’ they said but I doubt that. It was a place for them to get rid of their dirt. After I spoke up to them, they tossed me into a room with others and… turned on the green light. Next thing I know, I’m here in this hell. Stuck with a berserk bomb in my head.”

If Bertholdt wasn’t angry before, he was now. All this time, he tried hard to believe that the Eldians within the walls were just people trying to survive. During his short time with them, they had been nothing but kind (for the most part) and hopeful to one day be rid of the Titans. He was always told that they were demons and that they were a plague on the world. His mother even spouted that many times to him. But hearing that the leaders of Paradis sent innocent people to be experimented and tortured for no good reason; it made Bertholdt suddenly happy he knocked a hole into the walls.

Brady had gone through more than Bertholdt or any other child in the Warrior Program had ever done. _All because he protected his sister._

 _Wait a minute,_ Bertholdt thought after he noticed that his arms were starting to steam. After calming himself down, he looked back at Brady. Selene had left her bed and gently placed a hand on Brady’s shoulder, who had started crying.

“Brady, you were sent here. How?”

Brady looked up with teary eyes. He wiped his nose and sniffed in snot. “They put me in a room. I was with a big group of people. Suddenly, Bright Eyes activated it by cutting himself and somehow made lightning appear. After that, the room… generated a green portal and the next thing I know; I’m an Ork prisoner.”

_So, there is a certain way here. It wasn’t just coincidental. They somehow managed to send people here to this planet. So that must mean there is a way back. There is hope. I can make it back to Reiner and Annie._

Still, there was one thing he didn’t understand. How did the portal work? He’d have to figure that out soon. But that wasn’t the question he wanted answered. “Brady; do you know who these people are?”

Brady shook his head. “I don’t know who they are. I don’t know the gray-haired man’s name. He never spoke it. But he did say who Bright Eyes’s name was. Not that it helps much now. I didn’t even know who he was back in the real world.”

“What was his name?” Selene asked as she sat closer to Brady.

“His name was Uri Reiss. And from how the gray-haired man acted, he was the one in charge.”

_4 Days Later…_

Bertholdt continued to push his way through the panicking crowd of civilians and shouting soldiers as he tried to force his way to the Guard Tower of Armageddon’s gate. It had been days after he arrived at Armageddon and no sooner did the fortress-city begin its preparations for the incoming Ork Waaagh. All Armageddon squadrons and regiments were recalled back to their city. They had arrived this morning and the officers of Armageddon were pointing them to their battle stations.

Bertholdt had overheard that scouts had witnessed the movement of the Ork Waaagh about two days ago. According to his rambling, numbers never before seen by human eyes made up the Ork horde and nightmarish vehicles and mechs were moving alongside them. They fired gunshots and explosions in the air to call out the Imperium and strike fear into them. They wanted the city to know they were coming.

What saddened Bertholdt was the fact that the soldier stated that the scouts had witnessed a flying beast hovering over the army with a massive Ork riding atop of it. This meant that Gorbad had survived and Ghazghkull no longer lived. The confirmation of his death did little to cheer Bertholdt up. But now, Gorbad was coming with a vengeance and he had all of Orkdom to help him obtain it.

Things were not looking good for the Imperium. Yarrick had made calls for assistance against the largest Ork army apparently ever recorded in the Imperium’s history. Some would not be able to arrive before the attack and others did not want to risk their safety and instead retreated to defend themselves. Only small squadrons were able to arrive from nearby bases and patrolling patterns, but it was not enough to even come close to half the size of the enemy.

Bertholdt was not liking how this was possibly going to play out. He had witnessed the brutality of the Orks and they were literally bred for war. If they could fight off a supposed army of demons and madmen, what hope did the mortal men of the Imperium have?

He was sure Yarrick had the same idea; which was why he was ordering the evacuation of the entire city. After four days of conscription and recruitment of Armageddon’s populace, he opened to back gates to begin the evacuation. It sickened Bertholdt that the Lord Commissar held the people captive until he could squeeze all the conscripts he needed before they could leave. It also didn’t sit well with him that they were also arming children no younger than 7 years old with rifles and pushing them to the walls. It reminded him of how he was forced into the Warrior Program.

But there was a difference. Initiates had a low possibility of dying in the program. The children fighting now would be facing monsters who would not hesitate to kill them.

He was called to meet the Lord Commissar on the central guard tower that stood over the gate of Armageddon. He didn’t know why he was summoned but he felt like he had little choice in the matter. What he wanted to do more than anything was leave this damned city and find a way back to his world, but he was watched every hour of the day. Yarrick’s men would not allow him to leave, no doubt because he was still suspicious of him.

This time however, he was joined by Selene and Brady. After the revelations they had shared in the hospital, they barely spoke to each other. The only time they ever really talked was when Brady was helping Bertholdt spar during his time in Armageddon. Other than that, Bertholdt felt serious tension, especially between Brady and Selene. They were no longer going at each other. He noticed that they would glance at each other as if they wanted to say something but they kept it to themselves.

Bertholdt wasn’t sure if he preferred the awkward silence or ridiculous shouting.

Large units of Guardsmen and conscripts continued to make their way towards the walls and their positions behind it. Some Guardsmen set up some heavy weapons on the evacuated buildings while others hid behind cover, ready to fire at any incoming Orks. They have long said that the wall of Armageddon has never been breached. _That’s what they said in Paradis._

No sooner did the trio reach the wall. The Guardsmen there escorted them to a large elevator which would take them all the way to the top to where Yarrick was. It was a while before the elevator returned to the surface. Bertholdt lost his breath when he saw that Commissar Severina Raine was waiting for them on the elevator. “You have arrived. The Lord Commissar has been expecting you.”

Bertholdt gulped as he and his companions entered the elevator. After they settled in, Severina pressed some buttons on the panel and the elevator eventually made its way up to the top.

There have only been a few times that he was deathly afraid that he was going to lose his life. Much of those times were on this world but this was probably the most stressful. Here he was standing next to the wife of the man who he got transformed into a Titan and was probably dead. At least he hoped he was dead. Bertholdt didn’t want to think about Briggs living out his immortal days as a Titan.

Bertholdt looked at Severina but the woman seemed to just focus on whatever was in front of her. She carried her stern look with her as she stood there. Bertholdt wanted to break the ice but found that he was to nervous to do so. What if he said the wrong thing or revealed something he shouldn’t have? He would be shot for sure.

So up they went, not saying a single thing.

Thankfully, it didn’t last long for the elevator to reach the top floor. Severina motioned the trio to follow her and they did without question. As they passed through the walls, Bertholdt looked out of a nearby window to see just how far up he was. He never really took in just how big the wall was. It was as about the size of Paradis’s wall if not a little bigger. However, this wall was built into the cliffs with heavy turrets and cannons placed on the top. Bertholdt was just glad he didn’t face this much resistance when he faced the wall.

Even from above, he could see the crowds of people evacuating through the back exits. Men, women, and children were being led through to not only evacuate but to send word to the others just in case the Fortress-City of Armageddon fell. Bertholdt hoped it didn’t come to that.

Brady placed a hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. Bertholdt turned and motioned to him that Severina was waiting for him. He nodded and followed her to a door near the end of the hallway they were in. Severina opened the door and Bertholdt followed. Selene was about to follow but Severina blocked her way.

“I am sorry. I want to speak with your friend for a moment. Do not go anywhere.” Brady and Selene looked at each other skeptically and then turned to Bertholdt. Bertholdt gulped loudly but it wasn’t loud enough for the others to hear it. He knew what was coming. All he did was put on a smile and nodded to his companions. With that, Commissar Severina Raine closed the door.

Brady and Selene just stood there. They didn’t know what to say or do. So, Brady just went to the side of the hallway and sat down with his back against the wall. He then took his axe and began running his hand over it.

Selene just looked out the window. Brady could tell that something was on her mind, but he didn’t know what he wanted to say and if he wanted to say it if he knew. In honesty, Brady thought Selene was a strong and powerful soldier.

“Is it weird?” Selene turned to him as she asked, “Is it weird finally being in a city full of people like you and me and just feeling out of place?”

Brady raised his eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Selene sighed as she leaned against the wall as she looked on at the fleeing civilians and shouting soldiers. “Since I was born into captivity, all I have ever learned is to survive and look out for yourself. I didn’t always agree to the rule my parents set for me.” Selene then turned and leaned her back against the wall. “But I’m just slowly beginning to see that maybe they were right, now that I am on my own.”

Brady frowned, not knowing what to say. Somehow, he found the words that he didn’t know were the right words to say. “Maybe they were readying you. Maybe they knew they would be taken from you and they wanted to prepare you for that.” Selene looked at him with question. “If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t have gotten the skills to survive. Because of them, you saved Bertholdt and… me. Because of what they were telling you, you are stronger now.”

“But I still miss them.” Selene pulled out something from her pocket. It was a necklace with a plethora of small gems. Brady was awed by the sight. Something like that could make him mistake her for royalty or elite status. “My father made this for me. While he mined for the Orks, he would take the extra time to collect them. Every time he found one and would put it on this string and say that I was his gem.”

Brady made an invisible grin. “Your parents must have been special. I’m sad I never got to see them. If only they knew how strong you are now.”

“Maybe.” Selene said as she also sat on the ground with her head leaned against the wall. “I’m sorry.”

Brady didn’t know what came over her and he suddenly felt awkward. For the last four days, he didn’t know how to feel around the people he arrived with. Sure, Bertholdt was open and willing to talk but Selene, the girl who possibly still hated him, didn’t even say a word to him. So, hearing her say this now took him by surprise.

“I’m sorry I treated you like trash. Seeing you reminded me of the Orks and all my life I had hated them. I believed you were just another brute just like them. But, I forgot that you were human too. And for that, I’m sorry.”

Selene and Brady stared at each other. Brady began scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. He would always be awkward whenever his sister and he had moments like this. Whenever they had a bad day, they would talk like this. But this seemed different, but Brady somehow felt comfortable.

“You know something?” Brady maneuvered his sight down to his axe. He ran his fingers across the flats of the axe’s head. “Despite all that has happened to me, you’d think I’d regret killing my father. He was an evil man sure but if I didn’t act on my impulse, I wouldn’t be here. But really, I don’t regret anything. I know my sister is alive and didn’t go through what I did. True, I might be a berserk monster, but… if I had to go back, I would go through it all again.”

For a few minutes after, the two didn’t say anything. But it was Selene who broke the silence. “You know I didn’t trust you…” Brady looked at her with confusion. “But I can start trying to.”

“So can you stop hounding me constantly?” Brady said with a chuckle.

Surprisingly, Brady felt relieved when the girl across from him smiled a little smile. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

……

Commissar Raine closed the door behind Bertholdt as his companions looked at each other. More than anything, Bertholdt wanted them to be with him just in case the woman got violent. He did his best to calm himself down, but his perfectly cued sweating and shaking did not help him. However, he did his best not to let the woman see him like that.

Severina then moved forward and motioned for Bertholdt to walk with her. They walked up some stairs and soon Bertholdt found himself on the top of the wall. It felt like he was on top of the world. From his high view, he could see almost the entirety of Armageddon. The tall towers, the smoking pillars of factories, and the moving tanks going to their positions. Everyone looked like ants but that really wasn’t new to him.

That was when Bertholdt turned to face the other direction. It was the direct opposite of what he had just seen. When he looked over the other side, all he saw was a huge murderous green tide. Camps were erected not too far away from the trenches filled with Guardsmen. Large vehicles and mechs strolled about, some deffkoptaz filled the skies, trolls and squigs were eating in cages, and Titans with good amounts of armor around their nape standing still. He wondered just how Orkimedes was controlling them.

But what frightened him was the amount of Orks populating the area. He remembered that the most he had ever seen was in Black Crag along with some glimpses of Iron Rock. But this was nowhere near the numbers he was seeing now. Banners were being placed around the warcamp, shots and chants were heard, and trucks arrived and delivered more boys to Waaagh Gorbad.

Wurrzag and Ghazghkull both had faith that the army of Armageddon was going to be able to stop the infinite army he saw before him and right now, Bertholdt didn’t believe them.

“Terrifying is it not?” Bertholdt turned to see Severina walk next to him. “I have fought these creatures all of my life. There was a time when I feared them but when I killed them like any other creature, I was never scared of them again.” She placed her hands on the railings that outlined the edges of the wall. “But now, that fear has returned to me.”

“Ma’am?” Bertholdt asked trying to figure out what she was saying.

“Seeing them in numbers never before recorded. Along with the drive of misplaced revenge. I don’t think I have ever seen the Orks like this.” She took off her hat and held it at her side. Bertholdt didn’t believe it but the woman who he thought was going to kill him was experiencing fear wash over her face. An experience Bertholdt was all too familiar with. “Why did you go out there Marcel?” Severina whispered softly.

“Marcel?” Bertholdt said surprisingly loud. Luckily, no one else was around for him to be embarrassed. Suddenly, realization hit him. “Oh. Are you talking about Sergeant Briggs?”

The Commissar didn’t move as she stared out across the world. Bertholdt wondered what exactly she was looking at or what she was imagining. But Bertholdt kept the hypothesizing to himself and let Severina be.

“I assume you know about us.”

Bertholdt suddenly felt the nervousness creep into him again as she asked the question. This was the dreaded moment. This was where he was going to have to spill the beans and fulfill the other promise he made Briggs. Still, it wasn’t that easy. Bertholdt gulped and nodded slowly as Severina turned to face him.

“Then you know why I am more afraid than ever now.”

Bertholdt knew exactly why. Another small period of silence filled the top of the wall as Bertholdt said nothing. But he knew she was interrogating him in a way, so he had to keep up with her. “How old is he?”

Severina looked at Bertholdt as if she was further analyzing him. “Marneus is five years old. He loved his father so much. Marneus always said that he was the bravest person he ever knew.” She smiled as she was obviously reminiscing the old times. “It was the hardest time of my life, keeping our relationship secret. Especially when I was pregnant. The Lord Commissar figured it out but yet he kept quiet and actually helped us deliver him. For a man who fights and scares anything he faces, he knew exactly how to help and for the first time; actually be gentle.”

Bertholdt witnessed a tear stream down her face. “That was the happiest day of my life. We held him together as we named him. We couldn’t decide what last name to give him so instead we gave him my grandfather’s last name. Thus, Marneus Calgar came into our lives.”

Bertholdt continued to feel saddened by the story she was giving him. Briggs had a great life. Despite knowing that he was living in hell, he found happiness where many others wouldn’t. He found love, made a family, and got to be a father. Briggs somehow managed to make it work all the while surviving in Hellworld. It still made Bertholdt certain that Briggs was the greatest man he ever met. He hoped that he could one day have even a fraction of his greatness.

“But then came the day he had to lead the scouts on a covert mission,” Severina said softly. “Yarrick said he was the only one accomplished enough. That was probably the only time I ever stepped out of line. Our shouting match was kept behind closed doors of course but I wasn’t going to back down. That was when Marcel… Sergeant Briggs stepped in and took the burden.”

“He said you didn’t speak to him for a few days. That you wouldn’t let him sleep in your house.” Bertholdt said it as softly as possible, not trying to demonize her. The woman was confiding in him and he didn’t want to make her regret it.

“Yes. I was so angry at him I didn’t let him come anywhere near the house. Marneus wondered why his father wasn’t around. But then… he started the mission early. It was after three days of knocking on the door that I decided to let him in.” Bertholdt could tell that this was one of the few times that the feared female Commissar was ever vulnerable. “He started the mission three days after our fight. I wanted to leave with Marneus and start anew. But he said we would be labeled as traitors. That if we were caught, we would be executed, and our son would be made an orphan. I told him I didn’t care but he said he couldn’t do it. I accused him of caring more about his career than his family. That was when I sent him out. I remember Marneus crying because Marcel didn’t tuck him in that night. He wondered where he went, and I told him that his father was out working late. For three days I told him that and for months, I have told Marneus that. But now…”

Bertholdt just looked across the land and trying to find something to focus on. An Ork, a bird, a tree, anything to keep his mind from the sadness of Severina’s past. But he found that it was impossible to.

“… I have to tell my son that his father is never coming back.”

Bertholdt then understood why Briggs made him promise to bring back the ring. It was because after the fight, Briggs never saw his wife or child again. He left to get the mission done fast so he could get home. When he knew he was going to die, he gave Bertholdt the ring because he knew that he wasn’t going to come home. Bertholdt had finished that promise…… but he knew he didn’t finish it entirely.

“Before he died,” he turned to face the heartbroken Commissar, “he wanted me to deliver the ring. But he also wanted me to tell you that he loved you. Every time I was with him, he looked at this ring. He made a necklace out of it too. He looked at it a lot and I sometimes even heard him say sorry to it. I didn’t know what it meant until he told me.” Bertholdt cleared his throat and got closer to her. “He said that he couldn’t abandon his instincts as a Guardsman. For that, he blamed himself and wished that he left with you. But… he probably also did it because maybe, he thought that he would be saving you and Marneus. Without him, I wouldn’t be here and the Orks would probably win and destroy the Imperium. This was probably the only way to protect you and insure a life for both you and your son. I-I c-can’t say that was it but… I’d like to think that was why he did it.”

Severina looked at him and Bertholdt swore that for the entire time, she didn’t blink. Bertholdt should have stopped there but he felt like he had to say one last thing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.”

Again, silence took over as both figures looked over at the city. Somehow, Bertholdt felt calm and at peace. This was what Briggs wanted him to do all along. Not only to save his family and people he had sworn to protect, but also pass his last message to his wife that he never apologized to. It was a sad promise, but it was one that Bertholdt could see why Briggs wanted it to be done.

After a few more minutes, Severina placed her hat back on her head and wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Redoing her outfit, she seemingly returned to her old self. “Come. Let us reunite with your companions and make our way to Yarrick. We have spent enough time here.”

Bertholdt nodded. “Yes ma’am.” With that, Commissar Raine descended down the stairs. Before he did the same, Bertholdt looked over to take one last glance at the Orks. He didn’t quite know how but he knew his loud inner voice was going to say something.

_THEY ARE COMING. WHEN THEY DO, CHAOS WILL SWALLOW THIS CITY._

What scared Bertholdt more was that he agreed with the monstrous voice in his head.

When he turned, he didn’t notice a large figure making its way towards the walls of Armageddon.

……

Sergeant Catherine Bates, Guardswoman of Armageddon, called her fellow Guardsmen to back her up as she saw the lumbering humanoid figure make its way towards the trenches. Luckily, her companions had made it to witness the hulking monster.

“What the hell is that thing?” one of the Guardsman said.

“Is it something from the Dark Continent?” another worriedly stated.

“What is it doing? Is it friendly?” a third shouted while readying his rifle.

“Enough. We are Guardsmen. Whatever it is, it is clearly not human, so we need to bring it down. If it is friendly, oh well, but right now it looks like a threat so we need to bring it down. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am,” shouted her squad. “Rodney, get to our Vox Caster Tower and signal for help. The rest of us will deal with this thing.”

Guardsman Rodney saluted and ran through the trenches. Catherine cursed as they were on the far side of the trenches. This part was lightly manned as Orks had to go through a dangerous drop to get to them. They would be mowed down by the heavy weapons so during sieges, enemies would rarely come through here.

But the large humanoid easily stepped over the drop and was about to be on them. With it closing in, Catherine got a better look at it. Somehow, this thing was armored. At its front was a weird arrangement of Orkish scrap and metal; clearly enough to take a beating. On its arms were large mechanical claws that closely resembled Ork Power Klaws. Big Shootas also seemed to be placed on both shoulders so it was clear that this thing was not a friendly. However, what was strange about the thing was the peculiar was on its head.

The thing looked to be a large helmet that covered the humanoid’s head except for the mouth. All it had was a singular red line across the front. It stemmed at the neck area where what looked like a collar was at. _Is this some sort of new war beast?_

The humanoid beast stopped and looked down at the Guardsmen. Suddenly, the Big Shootas came to life as they started firing at the soldiers. Catherine took cover as two of her squad was killed instantly.

She commanded one of her unit to man the heavy autocannon. He took up the stationary gun and began firing but it easily bounced off the armor. While the shootas continued firing, the giant went over and slammed his clawed fist down on the autocannon, squashing the soldier. With a few swipes of its long arms, the beast sent Catherine’s soldiers flying while stopping to grab an injured one from the ground. Catherine crawled back in terror as it bit the Guardsman in two and ate the rest of him.

Catherine ran to locate Rodney. She hoped that he had gotten through by now and help was on the way. She entered the communication shelter where the Vox Caster Tower was and tripped. Cursing, she looked to see what she tripped on only to find that it was dead body of Rodney. Not concerned with how he died, she turned to activate the Vox Caster.

“Is anyone there?” There was only static. “This is Sergeant Catherine Bates of the west trenches. We have been broken through. A large armored enemy has broken the ranks. We need assistance.” She still heard only static. “Dammit. Someone answer.”

“Sorry ma’am. But no one is coming to help.”

That was the last thing she heard before the shot that ended her life.

……

The hour was at hand. On top of Krookback Mountain, Orkimedes would watch his masterpiece lay waste to the city of humies. This was where he would take control of the Orks. This was where he would begin his plan to dominate the planet.

“Hurry up da lot of yuz. Da ‘our is near and we can’t be late,” Orkimedes commanded as he turned to see the flock of Deffkoptas carrying his covered device. Orkimedes used his teleporta to get to the mountain fast as had already built one on Krookback Mountain. However, his prized masterpiece could not be transported like that, so he had to rely on the aircrafts. Luckily, only three of the 8 deffkoptas were destroyed so in Ork standards, the machine arrived safely.

With his guidance, the large machine was carefully placed next to him on the top of the mountain. After signaling that it was placed, the deffkoptas turned and headed back to the warcamp to join their imbecilic brethren.

He then slowly went over to his machine. After placing his hand on his machine, he flipped off the covers that was covering it. Every time Orkimedes looked at it, he was filled with awe and accomplishment.

The machine was a large chair positioned on a circular platform. The chair was made of large scraps of metal and electrical wires. He blimked three times with his robotic eye and the device made a whirring noise that motioned that the mechanical roots have securely dug into the mountain, keeping it in place. But Orkimedes was truly happy about where the large canisters attached to the device. Within each and every canister that was about the size of him were large amounts of energetic lightning bouncing around.

It was truly Orkimedes’s best creation.

He then made his way toward the chair and slowly sat down in it. It gave him a few shocks but Orkimedes barely felt it. But it was time for what came next. He blinked twice and after a few seconds, the teleporta came to life as one of his Ork Mekboyz appeared. He quickly ran over with an Orky-like package in his arms. He nervously handed it to Orkimedes as the Mad Ork smiled.

“Go. ‘Ead back to Big ‘Un Mountain. I’z zignal yuz if I need more canisters. Now zog off.” The Mekboy fearfully scrambled away and ran to the teleporta and in an instant, he was gone.

Orkimedes laughed as he opened the package. What he pulled out was a weird looking crown that strangely emitted green light. It was clear that it was not a crown meant for an Ork as it was the not the size for one and there were many odd inscriptions on it. 

“Da Crown of Sorcery,” Orkimedes said as he looked upon it with glee. “Dis is what ol’ Azhag da Slaughterer found and used to control da powa of Da Waaagh. Dis be stronga den da Weirdboy Wurrzag ‘imself. Now wiff dis, I will bring da walls of da humies down.”

With that, Orkimedes placed the crown on top of his head. Instantly, he felt chills and shocks as he felt the energy of the crown shoot through him. He spasmed and jerked for a few minutes but after that, he felt more refreshed than ever before. He laughed his maniacal laugh as he began to reach for some huge wires on his right. With it, he began to plug them into his Power Klaw.

“Now lets zee. Is it da time?” He knew Gorbad was waiting for his signal. He was ready but he wanted to make sure that his asset was ready. He looked through his bionic eye and found that his thrall had made it to the walls. He smiled when he found that it was on target.

With that, he blinked his robotic eye. Right in cue, yellow lightning raced through his cords as it went through his Power Klaw. Orkimedes felt so much power flow through his body and veins. The feeling was amazing; more intoxicating than he ever imagined. The center of the crown began to glow as it too felt the power growing.

“Now be time to zhow da world da new powa of da Orks.”

……

“Commissar Raine. You have finally arrived.” Yarrick moved from his chair in the large tower to greet his second. Bertholdt, Brady, and Selene followed as they went to find some space in the crowded room. Bertholdt recognized many of the Yarrick’s counsel in the room followed by regiment commanders and squad leaders.

“I’m sorry for arriving late sir. There were questions that needed to be answered.” Bertholdt gulped and awkwardly looked away when Yarrick turned to face him. “Regardless sir, I am here and ready to defend my home.”

“Excellent. Take your position.”

Severina moved with Yarrick as he stood in the center of the room. In front of him was a huge table with a large paper map. No doubt it detailed the entirety of the city. For a good two hours, the counsel went about planning their defenses and creating failsafes. It reminded Bertholdt of the meetings he would hear in Marley and the one he attended before he destroyed Caskernus.

All the while, Yarrick acted differently than he did the first time he had met him. Instead of being silent, he was the primary one speaking. He controlled the room with authority and with the respect his comrades had in him. He was never afraid to say that some options were risky and would probably fail. He also spoke of some squads acting as suicide squads to keep the enemy at bay. Bertholdt didn’t necessarily like that but in war, he guessed that some things had to be done.

 _You would know about things having to be done. Just ask the people from Shiganshina,_ he heard his devil slyly say.

 _He had to. We had to. It was the only way to survive and start the mission. If it wasn’t for us, Annie and Reiner would have been devoured by Titans. We would have been devoured as well,_ fought back his angel.

 _That’s bullshit and you know it. Reiner could have climbed the wall. He just forced you into destroying it so he could prove his worth as a hero. He didn’t care about you or you not wanting to destroy it._ Despite the bagging on Reiner, the devil made a good point.

 _We would have been discovered. Then we all would have died by the blades of the Eldians._ The angel also made a good point.

Bertholdt shook his head to quiet them. What happened has happened and there was no going back. What he did couldn’t be changed and he would be marked by that event forever. Arguing what could have been wouldn’t accomplish anything.

After another hour, the meeting finally ended and Yarrick ordered his people to return to their stations. Everyone quickly ran out as Yarrick stayed to look at the map once more. He then signaled for Bertholdt and his companions to join him. Before she left, Commissar Severina looked to the three of them; especially at Bertholdt. After a second’s gaze, she turned and made her way out of the building.

As the companions gathered around the table, Yarrick looked at all three of them. “I appreciate all that you have done here. You three took it upon yourselves to get here and warn us about the impeding danger. I can only imagine what you have all been through. Because of you three, we were able to quickly set up our defenses and ready ourselves for what sounds like the final fight between Orks and Man. Though I don’t believe that, it is something everyone else could get behind.”

He then walked to the door and stopped just before with his hands behind his back. “I don’t expect you to stay. Normally, I would have all of you three conscripted and order you to make your way to the trenches. But you have done enough. I wish you farewell and if Armageddon survives like Ghazghkull believed it would, I will find you and give you a reward for your service.” With that, Yarrick exited the room leaving Bertholdt, Brady, and Selene alone.

“Soooo…. What now?” asked Brady.

“I don’t know. I guess we get the hell out of this city.” Brady passively shrugged but Bertholdt assumed he was agreeing with Selene’s suggestion.

“Yeah. What happens then?”

Bertholdt found that the both of them were looking at him. Bertholdt wasn’t sure why they were looking at him. _Do they think of me as their leader?_ Instantly, Bertholdt wanted to burn that bridge before it was even started.

“Don’t look at me guys. I am going to try to find a way home. I have done all I can and fulfilled my promises here. I have to leave. I need to get back to my comrades. I promised I’d help them get home by completing the mission and that’s what I am going to do.” Bertholdt looks at the both of them to see if they understand his goals. They both nod and Bertholdt turns to face the door. As he begins to walk out, Brady rushes to block his path. “What?”

“Listen Bertholdt. Before we leave, I need to ask something.”

“Look Brady. Ask me later. We don’t have time for this. Who knows when the Orks will attack? The farther away the better. You can ask me when we are safely away.” Bertholdt made haste to the door but Brady caught him by the arm.

“Seriously Brady. We need to go. Is this Kharn acting up again?” Bertholdt was starting to get pissed. Didn’t he know the people that enslaved him were not too far away from the walls?

“Look. I need to know. Before we fought in Black Crag, Gorbad told me that you were a monster. You single-handedly brought near ruin to Iron Rock and killed many Orks. He sent you against me for a reason.”

Bertholdt didn’t like where this was going. He had hoped Brady didn’t hear that or was told. Brady knew Titans and Bertholdt knew he would have questions. He really hoped that Brady was not about to ask the question Bertholdt didn’t want to answer.

“What is the Colossal Titan?”

Soldiers burst through the doors as the ran through the tower space. The trio didn’t know what was happening and the commotion took them all by surprise. Bertholdt stepped in front of one of the soldiers. “What’s going on? Are the Orks attacking? Is there a flying beast heading straight for us?”

The soldier looked like even he wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. All we have been told is that there is a huge monster climbing across the walls.” With that, the soldier ran through the other door to follow his comrades.

Bertholdt looked at his comrades before all three of them ran after the soldiers. They made their way out of the tower and looked to where the Guardsmen were looking. Bertholdt couldn’t believe his eyes.

There was a Titan, an _armored_ Titan, (though not like Reiner) climbing across the wall. Its powerful claw hands sticking into the wall and helping it move across the flat surface of the wall. The Guardsmen fired their weapons at it but it either bounced off the armor or the Titan’s body just healed. It was clear that the Guardsmen did not know what they were handling. But in all honesty, Bertholdt was also stumped at what the Titan was doing. Based on its size and form, this was clearly a Pure Titan, but the problem was it was moving as like a Titan Shifter was. It also wasn’t going for humans. Instead, it was making its way across the wall and it finally stopped below them above Armageddon’s gate.

“What the hell is that?”

“How do we kill it?”

“What do we do?”

Those were all things Bertholdt heard the men say. He wished he could help but he didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, he knew who exactly was behind this. There could only be one explanation for the armor, the behavior of the Titan, and the mysterious role it was playing.

_Orkimedes._

Bertholdt could feel his hands clench as he gripped the railing. The Mad Ork was responsible for everything that had happened to him in the Ork Lands. Killing Selene’s parents, killing and enslaving the _Gretchins_ in Big ‘Un Mountain, the death of Marcellus Briggs, his transformation, and the death of Ghazghkull. Never had Bertholdt so much hate for one singular being.

“Bertholdt?” He heard Selene whisper. He turned to look at her only to find her and Brady looking at his hands. He looked at them and found that they were steaming. Quickly, he pulled his hands of the railing but was shocked to see that he had twisted it while he was steaming. _What? How did I do that?_

_BOOM!_

Everyone heard the noise and the Guardsmen instinctively took cover. Bertholdt, Brady, and Selene did not as they saw something in the sky. Bertholdt didn’t know if he was right or not but he swore he could see a bright glowing light of yellow a few feet away from him.

That was when it happened.

Lightning erupted from the light and hit where the armored Titan was. All Bertholdt remembered seeing was Brady charging for Selene before his vision was filled with yellow and the deafening explosion filled his ears.

……

_Where am I?_

_What happened?_

_Did I transform?_

_Where are Brady and Selene?_

_Are they okay?_

_What the hell happened?_

Bertholdt slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a ruined building. He hurt all over, but he could tell he was not out for very long. He shook his head, still hearing the ringing in his ears. With the help of nearby bricks and other broken parts of the house, he managed to get to his feet.

_Where am I?_

When he managed to make his way to the streets, he knew he was in Armageddon. _Strange. I thought I was on the wall._ Bertholdt then turned to face where he guessed the wall was. He was right but what he saw made him forget all of his pain.

The massive wall of Armageddon was destroyed. Where the central tower he and his comrades were in no longer existed. Instead, a massive hole was in its place. Bertholdt could not believe it. What the hell could have destroyed the wall and what power was that he vaguely remembered seeing?

That was when he heard the rumbling. He wasn’t far from the wall, but he knew the rumbling noise was coming his way. It was close or maybe his sense were still off. Suddenly, a giant Titan foot slammed down in front of him. Bertholdt yelped as he fell to the ground. Bertholdt began sweating a waterfall as he quickly tried to crawl away from the armored Titan that destroyed the walls.

He unfortunately backed against the wall as he crawled away from the Titan. He tried to pick himself up and run but the pain had returned to him and there was no way he was running right now. Most of him thought it wasn’t a good idea to move as the Titan was stalking him in a predatory way.

That was when it happened. A man emerged from the back of the mechanized nape and hopped down onto the streets. The man was plated with Ork armor, wielded a huge blade, and wore a weird looking Ork mask. As he moved, the Titan looked at the man as he approached Bertholdt.

“I’m so glad you are alive.” Bertholdt couldn’t believe it. He was sure the man he was hearing now was dead. He had to be. But Bertholdt’s fear came true as the man removed his helmet to reveal the scarred face of Valmir Gausser. “Now I finally get to take what’s mine.”

Bertholdt was speechless as Valmir squatted down next to the quivering boy. “By the way, I’m not the only one here to say hi to you. I brought the whole gang. Well, human gang that is.”

“Wh-Wh-What?” Bertholdt somehow managed to utter.

“I figured you wouldn’t recognize him.” Valmir chuckled as he poked the side of his head with his eye patch. Suddenly, the helmet on the armored Titan lowered to reveal its head to Bertholdt. Bertholdt wanted to throw up in disbelief and fear.

For the armored Titan looking at him was once the greatest man Bertholdt ever knew and wanted to be like when he grew up.

Sergeant Marcellus Briggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imperial Guardsmen:  
> The sturdy backbone of the Terran Imperium is no other than the Imperial Guardsmen. Signing up or being conscripted into the Imperial Guard is a thankless and deadly job for any man or woman to take. The Imperial Guardsmen are responsible for the protection of their Imperium and her children. Many regiments and squads of Guardsmen have been lost to the Orks, Forces of the Dark Continent, or the other creatures that plague the Imperium. Few regiments have survived the constant war of survival and are known to be greatest squads to serve. However, the main duty for a Guardsmen is to fight in the name of the Imperium and if ordered, die for it as well.
> 
> Vox Casting:  
> Vox Casting is the main form of communication of the military. Armed with a small Vox-Caster, (a small radio transceiver) Guardsman Units can communicate with other nearby squads to rendezvous and plan with other units. They can be as small as handheld radios or be giant datalinks or towers. The main link to a Vox-Caster is to Field Command as the Vox Monitors can pick up everything they say. Vox Casting is vital to the defense of the Imperium as no other enemy knows how to communicate other than with a war cry, howl, or cued sound.


	17. The Sins That Chain Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Early Merry Christmas and New Year. I'm certainly glad that 2020 is going to be over soon. Anyways, I will not be updating since I will be on my annual Christmas vacation with my family and probably won't be posting until sometime in January. Once again, thank you all for the reads, likes, and comments. If you have any questions or fixes for me, I will answer them whenever I can. Enjoy the cliffhanger. I really am enjoying writing this part.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy the holidays.

Gorbad Ironclaw watched as the lightning hit the wall near the central tower. What he saw was truly amazing. The power of the lightning was truly astounding. The way it hit the wall and in seconds, tore the wall apart and made a huge hole in the wall. He knew Orkimedes would find a way to destroy the wall but removing almost an entire section of it, Orkimedes had truly gone above and beyond for Gorbad’s Waaagh.

Now was the time. The time for revenge and war had come. All the Orks that perished during Da Last Big Fight, the constant losses at Armageddon, the defeats by Yarrick, the loss of Grimgor, and many more unanswered grudges that had never been avenged were going to be fulfilled now. When it was all said and done, he would make Yarrick watch his city burn before he took his head.

He whistled loudly with his instrument and no sooner did his faithful steed Krimson Killa glide to his side. Gorbad scratched under his wyvern’s chin as he moved to mount his beast. However, he stopped to look at his companion.

Krimson Killa was usually one to be ready for hunting and battle. Whenever Krimson Killa was called, he would roar and scratch the ground impatiently and be ready for battle. He was different and Gorbad knew why.

Krimson Killa had been different since their fight with Ghazghkull. It was a long fight and he could tell Krimson Killa was holding back. When the fighting was done, Ghazghkull was near death but Ork’s were tougher to kill. While Gorbad was content to leave him there, Krimson Killa was not and tried nudging Ghazghkull back on his feet. Gorbad had to drag his beast away in order to actually leave.

Since then, Krimson Killa hadn’t been the same. Sure, Krimson Killa was loyal to Gorbad as he had found and tamed the wild beast. But it was Gorbad and Ghazghkull together who nurtured and befriended the beast. Ghazghkull was just as much a master as Gorbad was as Gorbad would entrust Ghazghkull to look after his wyvern when he was off doing business. Hurting his friend probably dampened Krimson Killa’s drive to fight.

His beast wasn’t the only one that hadn’t been the same since.

After Ghazghkull’s betrayal, Gorbad had kept to himself. Any Ork that came to see him, he would tear apart and only Orkimedes was allowed to see him. He also yearned for Wurrzag’s counsel but since he and Ghazghkull’s argument, he had not been seen. Everyone he saw as an ally and friend had abandoned him. It also didn’t help that many Orks including the chiefs of the Big Klanz were beginning to question him for they all had respected Ghazghkull just as much as Gorbad. But since the destruction of Iron Rock, many believed Gorbad to be going insane.

In truth, Gorbad was slowly falling to madness and he knew it. Every moment, even during his preparations for his attack, his mind was plagued by Ghazghkull’s words. _Grimgor would be ashamed of yuz._ His words haunted him at every passing moment and every time he would convince himself he wasn’t.

He didn’t like Orkimedes but his inventions and methods were the only way for the Orks to finally defeat the humies. He disregarded the honor that they usually showed the humies because they didn’t deserve it; according to Gorbad. All the Orks drained of their Waaagh were needed to make the machine that destroyed the walls.

Iron Rock was something he regretted but nonetheless, it got him to where he was now. With this victory, he would prove to all Orkdom that his leadership was earned and never to be questioned. With this victory, he knew he would be granted the power of the Ork Titan by the One Who Creates. With that power, no one would stop him in his conquest of the world.

With those thoughts in mind, he placed his hand on his wyvern’s head and patted it softly; which was uncharacteristic of any Ork. “I am zorry about Ghaz. He waz a good phriend, Warboss, and mountain-brudda but I did wat I ‘ad to do.” He then went and mounted Krimson Killa. When he was on, he rubbed Krimson Killa’s neck and whistled for him to look at the warlord. “Dis be for Ghaz. Right boy?” Krimson Killa growled in agreement and began shaking his head, as if ridding himself of sadness and doubt. “I like dat answer.”

With that, he commanded Krimson Killa to take flight and immediately, he was up in the air. Krimson Killa then landed in front of the warcamp where the Orks were massing. The boyz were armed with weapons of all kinds from axes to shootas. Some were on warbikes and watrukks, while others stayed in their deffkoptas, and the rest were revving their Deff Dread suits for battle. Behind them, stood the enslaved Titans of Orkimedes.

For a time, they were the enemy. But now, they were the key to their victory.

“LOOK TO ME BOYZ. AND LIZZEN WELL.” All the Orks looked to him. Some boyz turned on their small makeshift sound devices so Gorbad’s words would be played through the sirens around the warcamp. “LONG ‘AVE WE’Z BEEN KNOCKIN’ AT DIS GATE. LONG ‘AVE WE’Z BEEN DYIN’ AND LOSIN’ DO DAT GROT YARRICK AND DA PUNY HUMIES. COUNTLESS OF OUR KIN ZLAUGHTERED IN FRONT OF DA UNBREAKABLE WALLZ WHILE DA HUMIES ‘IDE IN FEAR.”

Gorbad raised Morglor as he pointed to the huge hole in the wall. “NOW DEY ‘AVE NOWHERE TO ‘IDE. NOW, DEY WILL FACE DA FURY OF DA ORKS. DA ANGER OF GRIMGOR. DA WRATH OF DA ‘UN WHO CREATES.” The Orks began to stomp their feet and weapons into the ground as they began chanting Gorbad’s name. “IT BE TIME. ‘ERE WE GO BOYZ. FOR DA RECKUNIN’ OF DA ORKS ‘AZ COME FOR DA HUMIES AND DEIR WEAK IMPERIUM. LET DIS DAY BE ‘UN TO BE REMEMBERED BY DA ORKS OF FUTURE ZPAWNINGZ.”

He whistled again and on cue, Krimson Killa turned to face the city of Armageddon. _I’m comin’ for ya Yarrick. Dis time, yuz will lose._

With that in mind, Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw raised Morglor the Mangler as high as he could. “FOR DA KLANZ. FOR GRIMGOR. FOR MORK AND GORK.”

The Orks then went silent as they waited for Gorbad’s final words.

_WAAAAAAGH!_

The Orks howled and shouted as they charged towards the city of Armageddon. With fury and vengeance, the green tide headed straight for their deaths or glory. Either way, they would enjoy the rush.

Gorbad whistled once more and Krimson Killa rose to the sky once again. Gorbad had steered himself to the tip of the charge. This was his moment. This was his time.

The final battle of Armageddon had begun.

……

_Explosions. Roars. Cannon shots. Gunfire._

That was all Selene could hear as her body was slowly beginning to feel itself again. She felt the ground rumbling around her as it seemed the world was ending right now. While she was recovering, she was still trying to figure out what the hell happened.

As far as she could remember, she was on top of the wall of Armageddon with Brady and Bertholdt. That was really the only thing that she honestly remembered. The rest seemed crazy to think about. A beast climbing the wall? A yellow light hitting the wall? Brady diving for her instead of Bertholdt?

 _Brady! Bertholdt!_ Of course, one sounded more urgent than the other. However, her brain was too scrambled to figure out who it was for.

Just then, Selene heard an explosion not far from where she was. That jolted her awake to find herself in a very messed up truck. From the looks of it, it was in the shape as if something hit it making the front and back bend to the sky.

She then felt something move underneath her. Scared, she quickly took out her knife tucked in her pants pocket and brought it out. Her vigilance slightly vanished when she found that Brady was underneath her. Correction, she was on the body of Brady.

Of course, that was when he opened his eyes at that time. “Having fun up there?”

It felt so relieving to her when she replied by giving him a hard slap across his face. “Is that the answer you were hoping for?”

“Easy, easy,” Brady said as he brought an armored hand to rub his now red cheek, “Damn, you’re uptight. That’s how you say thank you to someone who saved your life?”

Selene rolled her eyes, knowing that she probably should. “Thank you for catching me Sir Idiot. Just how exactly are you alive? We were blasted from the top of the wall several kilometers above ground. But it looks like you did more damage than the car? What exactly are you made of?” Despite her sarcasm, she was genuinely concerned.

“Snips, snails, and puppy dogs’ tails. Also, I’m wearing my gladiatorial armor which can take a beating. So, relax damsel in distress; I’m not broken.” Her concern was starting to fade after that comment. He just reeked of arrogance.

Selene snarled as she abruptly rose to get off of him. As Brady struggled to get loose from the truck he was lodged into, Selene took the time to look across the city of Armageddon. She really did not like what she saw.

First, there was the giant hole in the wall. From top to bottom, the hole took up the majority of where the central wall once stood. Even from this distance, Selene could see the incoming horde of Orks along with their scrap heaps of vehicles and mechs. She hoped that if she looked long enough, she would see the numbers of Orks lessen but she doubted that would actually be true. She was born into Ork captivity. She knew there really was no end to them.

Then she saw the smoke coming in from the buildings and trenches near the wall. Though it was a good distance away from where she and Brady were, she could hear the fighting taking place. She had no doubt who was winning. Without the wall to nullify the Orks’ advantage in numbers, Armageddon would easily be overrun. The fact that they were already that far into the city did not bode well for humanity.

She then turned when she heard the firing of cannons and tanks far behind her. That was where the Armageddon tanks were stationed so they could fire from afar and blow the encroaching greenskins to bits and pieces. She had no doubt that they were stationed in many areas and they were all focused on the hole. They knew the Orks would easily go to pour in through the hole as they had the numbers and didn’t care about the casualties. She knew many Orks would lose their lives charging into the kill zone. The dangerous part was that the Orks would move forward regardless of the deaths as they knew the tanks couldn’t keep them out.

After about the thirtieth curse, Brady finally unwedged himself from his crater in the truck and made his way next to Selene. He too was taking it all in.

“We should get out of here. There is no way the Imperium can fight them off. They are busy dealing with the Guardsmen. We can easily make a break for it.”

“No.” Selene didn’t even hesitate or stop to think when she said her answer. She then turned to Brady who looked entirely gob-smacked. “I’m not leaving.”

“Come again?” Brady said with his head cocked in confusion.

“I’m not leaving. Wurrzag said that I would help in the downfall of Orkimedes. I’m not sure how but I’m sure the Imperium will win. I just don’t know how. But regardless, I’m staying. I don’t care if I die, I’m seeing this through.”

“You must have fucking lost your mind. Listen Selene. This isn’t a children’s book where we listen to a prophecy and it magically comes true with the power of friendship and love,” Selene raised an eyebrow at that statement, “but this is real life. Take it from someone who has fought them for a year and a half, there is no stopping them.”

“That may be. But I’m not leaving. You can run if you want but I am not leaving. I will avenge my parents and everyone else who died at the hands of the Mad Ork. So don’t waste your breath convincing me to turn tail. That’s final.” With that, Selene began walking towards the smoking buildings near the wall.

Was she scared; yes. Did she want to do this; no. But her vow to avenge her parents who protected her for her entire life and the friends she made for a short time in the Ork home of Ullanor was going to be carried out. Even if it meant her death, she would go through with it.

“Wait…” she stopped to see Brady making his way to her side as he readied his axe. “If you think you can take on a horde of Orks by yourself, you really aren’t thinking straight.”

This caught her completely off guard as the large gladiator looked towards the ruined wall. “Besides, I have some beef with the Orks anyway for locking me up like an animal. I think it would be therapeutic to cut them down.”

Selene, unsure of how she was feeling, immediately turned to look towards to fighting. She then looked to the ground to find an abandoned rifle on the ground. She went over and made sure it had ammo.

“So Miss Warrior Queen, where exactly are we going?”

She readied her rifle and placed her knife into her pocket, she then began the trek to the front line with her large companion right behind her. “Wurrzag said there was only one thing that could save Armageddon and defeat Orkimedes. I say we find him.”

“Him? I thought we were looking for something?”

“No.” She said as she held the rifle at the ready after hearing some Ork noises not far from them. “We are looking for Bertholdt. Wurrzag said only he can stop the Orks.”

……

[Communication established with Vox Caster 00-32 from Vox Caster 11-53]

_Lord Commissar? Come in Lord Commissar. Are you there?_

_I am here Commissar Raine. Status report._

_The Orks have overwhelmed the trenches. The faithful Guardsmen in the trenches held them off as long as they could but I have lost communication with the last squadron. More Orks are pouring through the walls as I speak. The 1 st, 2nd, 4th, 9th and 12th Infantry regiments are there establishing a perimeter and fending off the main horde. The 7th and 8th have been ordered to meet up with them. The others are forming back up perimeters in case the main line fails._

_Heavy weapons teams?_

_Established on the key structures we discussed in the meeting. The closest ones have begun firing._

_Do the tanks know the coordinates of fire?_

_Yes, Lord Commissar. The Tank Commanders know where to fire._

_How many positions have been destroyed?_

_7 of the total 23. Lightning continues to come out of nowhere and annihilate them._

_I was afraid of that. It is clear that Gorbad has some sort of lightning machine deployed somewhere. We have to find a way to shut it down._

_With respect, Lord Yarrick. There is no possible way that it is within the city. It is most likely within or behind the Ork warcamp._

_Damn. We can try to hold out but I’m not sure that it is going to run out of power anytime soon. What of the armored beast that is inside the city?_

_Every scout we have sent hasn’t reported back. They are most likely dead. I have also had reports that the 13 th regiment has lost much of their men to the beast. _

_Order the remaining men to meet up with the 10 th regiment and focus on backing up the main line. I have arrived at Field Command to ready the Tempestus squads. I know Gorbad too well. It’s Ghazghkull who usually commands and keeps the Orks in check during battle. Without him, they are just throwing themselves at us. Gorbad will seek to come after me. I’ll be ready for him._

_Any orders for me and the 11 th regiment Lord Commissar? _

_You have command of the front Commissar Raine, Order the Antari Rifles and the other regiments as you see fit. I know they are in safe hands. Once I am done with Gorbad, I’ll rendezvous with you to push the Orks back._

_May the Emperor be with you Lord Commissar._

_May the Emperor be with you Severina._

[Communication Terminated]

……

Bertholdt covered his ears as another crack of lightning emerged from the clouding sky; destroying yet another cluster of Imperium tanks. Screams of the dying were heard as the lightning destroyed both tank and man in a single hit. He swore he saw a man on fire running through the streets.

He continued to struggle but it seemed like he was completely trapped in the large fist of Titan Briggs. Since Valmir captured him, he commanded Briggs to hold him as Briggs marched through the city; destroying weapon emplacements, slaughtering Guardsmen, and killing civilians. All the while, Valmir was laughing at the destruction and death he was causing. The man was sick and Bertholdt knew that Valmir didn’t care.

He then looked at the face of Titan Briggs. Even in his massive grip, Bertholdt still couldn’t believe that the man he made so many promises to was still alive. He assumed, no, prayed that his Titan was destroyed when he transformed. But here he was, an armored monstrosity being used as a steed by the man who made him this way.

After a few more steps, Briggs halted near a large ruined building that used to be what Bertholdt viewed as an apartment complex. Bertholdt wondered why exactly he stopped here but his attention turned to Valmir as he zipped over to the roof. Bertholdt then recognized what was on Valmir’s waist. Bertholdt couldn’t believe it.

Valmir was wearing ODM Gear or at least the Ork version of it.

“Like what you see, little man?” Valmir did a sarcastic twirl to show off his ODM gear as he smiled cruelly. He then looked at his Titan mount, which as if on cue, lowered his fist and dropped Bertholdt right in front of him.

Bertholdt slowly rose to get up but found himself suddenly slammed to the floor. Valmir had slammed his foot on Bertholdt’s neck as he chuckled to himself. “Normally, people would say that no one should do this to a child. The Military Police or Garrison would haul me away and berate me for hurting you. Blah blah blah. We aren’t in that world anymore.”

“Does this give you… enjoyment?” Bertholdt said trying to act brave and annoyed. But he was sure Valmir knew that he was completely terrified.

“Yes. I’m not going to lie. After all, you are the reason why I am in this hell and the reason my comrades are dead.” Surprisingly, Bertholdt didn’t feel a hint of sympathy. Those men he sent here and died were all snatchers and murderers. If they were anything like Valmir, they all deserved to die.

“Do you want me to feel bad?” Bertholdt could feel the devil within him taking over. “Should I feel s-s-sorry for you? You kidnapped me. Beat me. Enslaved me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be with my friends instead of here. In truth, this is all your fault.” Bertholdt quickly pushed himself off the ground and surprised Valmir. With that moment of surprise, Bertholdt shot an uppercut right under Valmir’s jaw.

Valmir fell back as Bertholdt was prepared to strike him again. Bertholdt was angry and every muscle in his body wanted to lash out at the man. This man had taken him away from the Warriors, tortured him, stood by as Orks had their way with his kind, and turned Briggs into a Titan. The man in front of him was the true icon of what Marleyans thought of the Eldians; he was a devil.

This time, Bertholdt felt not only his hands steam, but his upper body as well. Anger coursed through him like a powerful river and the more he let it consume him, the hotter and steamier he got. The fear in Valmir’s one eye brought a small joy to the angry Warrior’s heart. _This is what he deserves._

Then he started laughing.

Valmir laughed as he slowly began to rise. His laughter confused Bertholdt. This man should be scared of him, pleading for forgiveness, or begging the boy not to kill him. Instead, he was laughing out loud; in the middle of a burning city.

“There he is.” Bertholdt felt his anger drop as he wondered what Valmir was insinuating. “There’s the monster that destroyed the walls. There’s the monster who let the Titans massacre the people. There’s the monster with ended the lives of thousands and millions with just one swing of its foot.”

After those words, the steam that once consumed Bertholdt’s body faded in an instant.

The screams, the death, the crying, the shouts for help. All that Bertholdt remembered that day shot back into him as if a bullet pierced his very heart. The noises and visions were becoming so loud in his head that he began to panic. He covered his ears but that didn’t seem to work.

_GO AWAY!_

Suddenly, the voices and visions disappeared after his shout. The scary thing was that Bertholdt wasn’t sure if that was him screaming or something else.

Bertholdt then found himself on his knees again as he felt a giant finger push him down to them. He could hear the enormous figure of Titan Briggs growling. He could sense his hungry eyes on him. But Bertholdt was too ashamed to act on any of that.

Valmir began walking over to Bertholdt, as if he were studying him. “So, you are the Colossal Titan?” Bertholdt did not answer but he was sure Valmir already knew. He wouldn’t be asking this if he wasn’t certain. “By what god were you gifted this power? Why in the hell did the world give the power to shake cities to a pathetic child?”

Valmir squatted down and forcefully grabbed Bertholdt by the hair to get a better look at his face. Bertholdt could feel tears streaming down his face. “Why would that power be given to a worthless sack of shit like you?” Angry, Valmir shoved Bertholdt to the ground. This time, Bertholdt did not rise.

“You have the power of a god. You can break walls, destroy cities, eradicate your enemies. I can’t even count how many people would kill to have a power like yours. The Armored Titan; pffft. It pales in comparison to what you can do. And yet here you are, crying like the child you are.”

Valmir started to circle Bertholdt while Bertholdt started to cry. He wanted to get up, but the guilt, shame, and sorrow shackled him there. It felt as if he was hoisting the world with his body and the world was mercilessly crushing him.

“I would expect the Colossal Titan to be powerful. Boasting about his destruction and reveling in the death he caused. Acting like a god while demanding those beneath him to bow. With that power, one could be king of the world.” Valmir stopped and let loose a strong kick into Bertholdt’s stomach. As Bertholdt recoiled from the blow, Valmir took the chance to spit on his face. “But here he is, crying like a helpless baby.”

Bertholdt should have gotten up and attacked Valmir. He should have stood defiantly and proclaimed himself the rightful wielder of the Colossal. He should have done something. He should have said something. He should have…… but he didn’t. All he could do was slowly rise to his knees.

“What made you this way? What could make you into a devil?”

“Devil? Is that what you think of me?” His mood changed to a serious and threatening tone. “I am a survivor. I see the world, our world, for the sack of shit it truly is.” Valmir went over and grabbed Bertholdt by the shirt with both his hands and lifted him off the ground. “The world for lack of a better word, is hell. The beautiful landscapes and breathtaking wildlife are all just an illusion to give idiots hope that the world is a caring mistress. That if they play their cards right, the world will give them the life they wanted.”

An explosion from a tank shot occurred not too far from them. Bertholdt reacted to it but Valmir didn’t waiver from Bertholdt.

“But I saw the truth. The world does not care for people. In truth, it is kill or be killed. Those who believe that the world will provide for them are the suckers who die sad and unfulfilled. Those who believe in hope, in destiny, in the greater good; find themselves going to the grave faster. As I said before, being a hero is a quick way to die. The only way to survive is to take the world by its reins and gain control of it yourself.” Bertholdt felt the grip on his shirt tighten. “Play by the rules of life, life finds a way to cheat you. But if you take control and throw off the chains of the world, the chains of sin and burden break and then you are truly free.”

“How can this be…… freedom? People are dying. Men, women, and children. How can you say that this is freedom?” To that, Valmir took Bertholdt over to the edge of the roof and threw him to the ground.

“Look and see.”

Bertholdt looked up to find death and destruction overtaking the once civilized city. Sounds of gunfire and fighting filled the streets, yelling and screaming of both human and Ork consumed the city, as fire and smoke plagued houses and small buildings like an infection. Titans walking the streets and devouring Guardsmen and civilians, Deff Dreads destroying buildings by walking through them, and Stormboys zooming over the city dropping bombs everywhere. He even saw the wyvern Krimson Killa land on a tower placed on the wall, letting out a fearsome roar.

“Chaos,” was the only word Bertholdt could think of. “Chaos is freedom?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t know that already.” Valmir stepped on the edge of the building and spread his arms out wide as if he was beholding the sight. “When the shackles of order and society are ripped off and the world no longer has control, chaos ensues. There is no better freedom than chaos. I bet you feel it every time you transform into the Colossal Titan. In that body, you must feel free because nothing can stop you. With that power, you can do whatever you feel or want. How many cities have you destroyed? How many people have you killed? Don’t tell me for all of that, you didn’t feel an ounce of freedom?” Then Valmir leaned down and moved his face close to Bertholdt’s ear.

“Does it make you feel powerful?”

Bertholdt suddenly gripped his chest. Tears started to well up as he remembered the last person he had shared that conversation with.

_“Does it make yuz feel powerful?”_

_“Um…. I…?”_

_“Does it make yuz feel powerful?”_

_“I-I…don’t…?”_

_“Grimgor’z Axe; answer me Bert’oldt. Does it make yuz feel powerful?”_

_“YES. OKAY. I DO FEEL POWERFUL EVERY DAMN TIME I USE IT. THAT’S WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST.”_

That was the truth. Little by little did Bertholdt finally begin to see the truth. There was no fighting from his angel or devil. There was no conflict within him. For he knew the truth. He felt it when he first transformed into the Colossal.

He felt it when he destroyed Caskernus.

He felt it when he destroyed the gate of Wall Maria.

He felt it when he laid waste to Iron Rock.

_I am a monster._

“I knew it. I knew under that soft and fragile character, there was a murderer begging to be set free. You know deep down that this is always what you were meant to be. Not a softie. Not a pussy. Not a coward. But a monster who has his way and destroys those that stand in his way. You are just like me kid. Just accept it. Take the reins and control your own destiny. Break the shackles and be the monster you crave being.” Valmir went over and placed a knife in front of Bertholdt. “Take the knife. Cut yourself. Become the Colossal. Forget about the world and its order of things. Or better yet…”

He reached behind him and grabbed a pistol from his belt and placed it in Bertholdt’s hand. With that, he lifted it up and placed it on Valmir’s own head. “Do it. Pull the trigger. Kill me. You hate me. I have killed many people, so I am far from redemption. Don’t worry. No one will miss me. No one will remember me. I destroyed the wall and allowed the Orks to have their way with the city. I even turned your only friend into the monster behind you. So, come on. I know you want to. Do it and become the monster that you want to be.”

Bertholdt felt the urge. What he said was true. Valmir deserved to die for all he had done and for what he will possibly do in the future. He was also right about him wanting to become a monster. It would be so easy. He wanted to give in.

He stood to his feet with the pistol still firmly on Valmir. His angel and devil began arguing over what they should do and Bertholdt once again felt his mind ripping apart.

_Do it. Kill this murderer and avenge the fallen._

_No. If you do this, you are no better than he is._

_Do it._

_Don’t do it._

_Do it._

_Don’t do it._

_DO IT!_

_DON’T DO IT!_

Bertholdt screamed as he fired the pistol. He kept firing and firing while still screaming with his rage and anger. He fired until when he pulled the trigger, no bullets were coming out.

Valmir looked in surprise when he noticed that the pistol was no longer on his head and close to his ear. He had fired the shots into the edge of the building. Valmir dropped his jaw in pure disbelief and scowled in disappointment.

“I’m not like you.” He said as he looked at the pistol. “I want to be,” he said still looking at it. “But I will never be like you,” he said as he threw the pistol off the building.

Bertholdt didn’t see the punch Valmir threw at his face. The force sent Bertholdt reeling back as an angry Valmir returned to his feet.

“Not like me huh? Well shithead, that’s too bad. I guess you will never be like me. You view that as a bad thing?” Valmir then reached to grab his eyepatch and instantly ripped it off. Bertholdt was stunned to find a robotic eye just like Orkimedes’s where his right eye used to be. “Then you don’t know what you’re missing.”

He then looked at one of the many skyscrapers that stood in the middle of Armageddon. He pressed two of his fingers against the side of his head next to his robotic eye. Suddenly, a barely visible red light was emitted from the eye and was pointed at the skyscraper.

He then turned around and smiled. After a few seconds of waiting, the familiar yellow light emerged from the clouds above Armageddon. “Behold, the meaning of freedom.” After that, lightning struck the skyscraper, blowing it into a million pieces. Bertholdt covered his eyes to make sure nothing sharp got into them.

“I had hoped that you could change from being a brat into a strong warrior, but it seems my faith was misplaced. But at least I have something to feed soldier boy. He is getting hungry.” With that, he blinked his robotic eye and no sooner did Titan Briggs grab Bertholdt.

Bertholdt began to struggle and flail but nothing was working. Added by his huge Power Klaws, Briggs’s grip only intensified. Bertholdt then looked at Briggs and for some reason, he began to smile. Anyone would have thought him crazy or thought he was accepting his fate. That wasn’t it at all. He didn’t feel sorry. He didn’t cry for help. He wasn’t relieved that it was about to be over. No, he smiled for another reason.

_At least Briggs will see his family again. With his sense of purpose and the power of the Colossal, he’ll be the best shifter there ever was and humanity will be saved. I know it._

That was when the unexpected happened. Briggs didn’t open his mouth to consume him. Instead, his hand stopped moving. Bertholdt opened his eyes to find the large eyes of Titan Briggs staring at him. Despite the terrifying smile on his face, Bertholdt found that right now; Briggs wasn’t being hostile.

“Briggs?”

Suddenly, a large projectile hit the arm of Titan Briggs resulting in an explosion. Briggs roared in pain as Bertholdt was released. Bertholdt hit the ground and tumbled into the middle of the street.

Coughing violently, Bertholdt shook his dazed head to process what had happened. Though his vision was a little foggy, Bertholdt noticed to pairs of feet walking towards him.

_Reiner? Annie?_

His vision cleared to find that it was none other than Brady McFarland and Selene Hunter. Bertholdt couldn’t believe it. His companions came to find him and even saved him. He knew because Brady seemed to be carrying a huge gun.

“Glad we found you noodleneck. Though I am surprised you aren’t dead.” Bertholdt rolled his eyes as he reached to grab Selene’s offered hand.

“I’ve been in war before you know,” Bertholdt grumbled as he wiped the dust off of him.

“Really? Did the enemy hide behind a wall scared of you?” Brady said sarcastically. Bertholdt somehow knew that underneath the sarcastic and boasting gladiator, he was glad to see that Bertholdt was alive.

“Something like that.” Bertholdt said softly.

“Alright you two. You can kiss later,” she said as the two boys gave her a sour look. Bertholdt also knew she was happy to see Bertholdt alive. “Right now, we have a huge monster in front of us.”

All three looked to see an angered Titan Briggs roar in fury as Valmir powered up the Big Shootas and the Power Klaws. Valmir then swooped up on the top of Titan Briggs’s head and unsheathed his two Orkish blades with a cruel smile.

“Alright runt. No more rescues and no more escapes. You die today; right here and right now. I don’t care if I am killed later by a soldier or a freak accident later. I will take my vengeance by removing your head from your shoulders.”

“You just have a way with people, noodleneck,” Brady said as he tossed away the gun and readied his axe. It made a whirring sound when the chains on the axe began to move. At the same time, Selene readied her rifle and aimed it at Briggs.

 _They are going to fight with me._ Bertholdt couldn’t help but feel happy even if the world was going to hell around him. _Though they drive me crazy, they view me as a comrade. As a friend._ Brady then turned to Bertholdt and took something off the back of his armor. Bertholdt couldn’t believe it.

It was the sword he had fought with in Black Crag. Sure, he took it with him through the jungle and with him in Armageddon. But after the day in the hospital, Bertholdt simply discarded it. Whatever Brady did to it, Bertholdt did not know. What was once dirty yet surprisingly sharp now looked clean, sharper, and had a certain glow to it.

“Brady, how? When?”

“I know how to smith okay. Spent some time with my friend’s dad and he was a blacksmith. Made swords for the military all the time. I picked up some tricks. Thank me later. Quit gawking and remember what I taught you. Because we will be needing it.”

With that, Bertholdt nodded and got into a balanced stance. “Listen, the guy Valmir is directing the lightning. His eye sends coordinates to Orkimedes so he can fire accurately. Without Valmir, Orkimedes is blind and the lightning will cease. Probably. Take out Valmir and Armageddon might just have a chance.” Bertholdt tensed as he saw the gleeful smile on Valmir’s face. “Ready?”

“I’m with you Bertholdt,” Selene said as she loaded her rifle.

“All the way noodleneck,” Brady hollered as he revved the sawblades on his axe.

“Then let’s do this,” Bertholdt said with confidence and purpose as the armored Titan Briggs charged at the trio.

……

“KEEP FIRING. DO NOT LET UP. SHOW THESE XENOS THE RESOLUTION OF THE IMPERIUM.”

Yarrick’s words shot through the Guardsmen as they continued to hold their ground and fire at the tides of green crashing against them.

For hours, the battle continued to be fought throughout the entire city. The front line stood its ground for as long as it could but with the help of the Titans, (as the boy called them) it was proving to be near impossible to keep the Orks out.

Now the remaining regiments or the remains of them have scattered throughout Armageddon, holing up in buildings or garrisons to protect themselves. This angered Yarrick as it was a Guardsman’s job to die for the Imperium, not to run and cower. _Their morale must be low, especially with those Titans. No matter, when we are victorious, I’ll have to execute them for cowardice._

A shoota bullet flew a few inches from his head; snapping him out of his thinking. Pissed, Yarrick rose and shot his pistol at the Ork, bringing him down in two shots. He continued to spread his fire across the line of approaching Orks, bringing some more down.

They had been pushed back to Field Command and they were losing ground rapidly. At the current pace, Yarrick and his men would be wiped out in two hours at most. With the rapid losses of their tank divisions, the city looked to be conquered fairly soon. Yarrick growled as he swore no enemy would take Armageddom under his watch.

“Waaagh.” Yarrick turned to see a large group of Orks charge towards him and his men. His Tempestus Scions, or Storm Troopers to the civilians, continued to spray the enemy with their Hellguns and burying scalding bullets into the bodies of the barbarians. They stood their ground and did not move as they turned their fire towards the oncoming charge. The Orks were easily shot down but the Nob pressed forward to attack the Lord Commissar. As he raised his axe, he found that his swing was halted.

The Ork looked confusingly at his axe to find a Power Klaw holding it there. He then looked back to the Lord Commissar to find that he was the one wearing it. With that, Yarrick shot his pistol into the Ork’s head. Tossing the Ork away, he continued to fire into the Ork attackers.

 _By the Emperor. They just keep coming_.

Yarrick knew that they would have to leave this position soon. Sure, they could kill as many Orks as they could right now but that wouldn’t stop the Waaagh. The only way to stop it was to scatter them and the only way to do that was to defeat Gorbad. He wanted to find Gorbad but the Warlord was last reported to have been destroying buildings and garrisons on the back of his powerful wyvern.

Gorbad knew that Yarrick wanted to take him out. Yet, he was keeping his distance as if he was waiting for Yarrick to make his move. Yarrick had to admit, the warlord had improved in strategy. Normally, he would have relied on Ghazghkull to deploy and fight strategically. Though Gorbad was not as smart as Ghazghkull, he was still putting up a fight.

“Lord Commissar. We have to fall back. The Orks are pushing and there are reports of a flanking Ork horde. We have to retreat into Field Command,” the Tempestus Sergeant informed. Yarrick cursed not liking the decision but staying put and being swarmed wasn’t going to help them. He nodded and ordered the Tempestus’s and surviving Guardsmen into Field Command.

Yarrick hated this. Here he was, the famed Ork Slayer and the Hero of Armageddon, being pushed back by the very beasts he swore to never let his city fall to. Now he and his personal squadron were being pushed back like animals in a pen. But away he went with his Storm Troopers, firing at Orks and smashing them with his Klaw as the Orks continued to swarm around them. During the retreat, several Guardsmen and some of his Tempestus’s fell to the overwhelming numbers of the Orks. At this point, a man should have wept for the fallen and go back for them.

Yarrick wasn’t that man.

After his tactical retreat, he ordered the main room of Field Command barred shut. Any Guardsmen still surviving, he ordered them to guard the door as best they could. He knew they would die but their sacrifices would mean something. The problem for Yarrick was that he was trying to figure out what exactly that something was.

All over the Vox network, he heard the brave Guardsmen falling in battle, the destruction of buildings and tanks, the battle cries of the Orks, and the screams of the civilians being devoured by Titans. He swore he had even seen a child being eaten by one of the beasts.

Angered, Yarrick slammed himself into his counsel chair and tried his best to think of a strategy. But he was finding that there was little much he could do. The majority of his tank divisions were being annihilated and the many regiments that had once stood sentinel over the city of Armageddon were nearly wiped out. He didn’t know what to do.

“Sir. They are at the doors. What are your orders?”

At that point, he knew what to do. He rose from his chair with pistol in hand and his Power Klaw at the ready. “We may die today. But know this my men, we will take many of those filthy Xenos scum with us. That is our charge. We are the Emperor’s Shield. The Emperor’s Sword. The Emperor’s Wrath. Though we may fall, we will bring down this building on them if we have to.” As he raised his Power Klaw in the air, the surviving men under his command cheered as they got into their positions to fire on the Orks that were about to break through.

Yarrick accepted his fate. He had fought long and hard against the tide. Deep down, he knew that the city would never last, but he had kept it that way. He had lost his home once and he swore never to do so again. But perhaps this was his freedom. Long had he been the man who sacrificed soldiers and others to fulfill his duty as the Commander of Armageddon. But now, his end of his position was coming, and he was going to meet it in glorious combat. Just like his father did defending their old home.

Then Yarrick felt pain. It came out of nowhere. He felt it go through his stomach and ribs and the immense pain spread through his entire body. He then looked down to find a blade running through him.

He began to cough up blood as he dropped his pistol to confirm that what he saw was true. He then heard the snort of a disgusting Xeno as he turned to face the beast. Yarrick knew exactly who had done this to him. “Damn you Snikrot.”

The renowned kommando uncloaked himself. Yarrick’s guards turned to face the Ork and fire at him but Yarrick knew they were just as dead as he was. As soon as Snikrot bellowed, the Red Skull kommandoes revealed themselves and opened fire on the unsuspecting men and women of the Imperium.

It hadn’t happened since he was a child seeing his home plundered by Orks. But after what felt like a lifetime, Yarrick shed a tear.

That was when the ceiling collapsed a few feet in front of him.

……

Gorbad Ironclaw had landed Krimson Killa on the top of Yarrick’s Field Command. After hearing from one of his Nobs that Snikrot was heading after Yarrick, Gorbad immediately flew over to beat him to it. However, based on how the Orks cheered and began tearing down the place, he knew he was too late.

But Gorbad wasn’t going to let the shifty Ork take his kill away from him. Not after all that had happened.

Gorbad whistled and his faithful companion raised his clawed fist. With a second whistle, the wyvern punched through the ceiling, breaking it into many pieces.

Gorbad jumped from his mount and landed right in the middle of the main room.

He noticed the many deceased corpses of humies scattered around the room. It was clear that Snikrot ambushed them and there was no chance of winning against the Red Skullz during an ambush. They were too good at that to screw it up.

He then faced what looked to be a dying Yarrick on the ground with a grinning Snikrot cleaning his blade. “Snikrot, how darez yuz try to take ma kill? Don’t you knowz just how much I wanted to kill Yarrick ma way? Now I cannot ‘ave da zatisfa’chion of kill’ ‘im.”

Many would have quaked in fear of the warlord’s temper and rage. Snikrot and the kommandoes weren’t part of the many. The kommandoes only respected their own and very rarely did they respect anyone else.

“I ‘ad a job to do. I zimply carried it out. Don’t be a cryin’ wazzock. Just be ‘appy I left ‘im alive for ya.”

“I should kill ya right ‘ere and now.”

That was when the kommandoes raised their guns and pointed them right at the Ork warlord. Gorbad was surprised just how quickly they responded to that threat. “What iz dis Snikrot? How dare yuz threaten’ me. Do yuz not know who I be?”

“I knowz exactly who yuz be Gorbad.” Snikrot pulled out another blade and slowly began to approach Gorbad, dual blades at the ready. “Yuz be da grot dat killed Ghazghkull. Yuz be da Ork who killed ya own Warboss.”

“Ez’cuse me?”

“I rezpected Ghazghkull. He was an e’kual in ma eyes. He learned da way of da kommandoes and learned of our kultur dat all otha klanz look down upon it. We’z ‘unted together and we’z fought together. When I heard da big klanz wanted you as warlord, both me and Wurrzag wanted ‘im as warlord. But he declined, zayin’ he rezpected yuz and da choice of da klans. For that, I ztill respect ‘im. And yuz killed ‘im.”

“I neva expected dis from a kommando. Yuz only fight for teef and riches. Don’t tell me yuz kommandoes are loyal to anyone?”

Snikrot giggled as he sheathed his blades. “Yuz be right. We aren’t. Da klanz can zog off for all we care. But any Ork who earnz our rezpect, we rezpect dem forever. So, take ya vengeance and do what yuz want wiff ‘im. I did what Orkimedes paid me to do.” With that, he barked and the kommandoes lowered their weapons.

“Orkimedes?” said the confused Warlord.

“Heh. I thought you… had finally learned how to be strategic and… logical.” Gorbad looked to the ground to find the dying Lord Commissar coughing and chuckling underneath him. “But I was right, you still… are the same dumb Ork I have beaten… so many times.”

With fury, Gorbad picked up his enemy and held him by his throat. “Maybe I will take pleasure in dis. Look at ya city, Yarrick. It be burnin’. It be on da brink of deff and ya people are bein’ exterminated. Long ‘ave I waited for dis day. Now dat it be ‘ere. I find dat I can’t find da words to tell yuz ‘ow I feel.”

“Stop blubbering your disgusting mouth and kill me already.” Gorbad tightened his grip around the Lord Commissar’s throat but the humie kept laughing. “Without Ghazghkull, you really have lost your marbles. With him… you used to think normally. But with him gone… it looks like you are losing control.”

“Yuz ‘avin a laugh Yarrick?” Gorbad slammed him on the ground and hit him in the chest with a powerful kick.

“Yes. Very much… so.” Yarrick continued to cough and wheeze but he didn’t waiver from his course. “I always viewed you as nothing more than a large man-child. You didn’t think strategy, tactics, or casualties. You didn’t think of honor. You still don’t. Maybe I was right in thinking that it was Ghazghkull in command. That certainly… is what… my men have been… hearing.”

“Dat’s enuff.” Gorbad ruthlessly picked up Yarrick and threw him against his seat. Both Yarrick and the chair fell to the ground as an angry Gorbad unchained Morglor and readied it in his large fist.

“I am Gorbad Ironclaw. I am a descendant of the biggest Black Ork to ever walk da world. I ‘ave killed monsters, ratmen, bug-things, humies, and demons. I fought in Da Last Big Fight and it was me who was chozen to be warlord. ME! NOT GHAZGHKULL!”

Gorbad faintly heard the booming of thunder and the crackling of lightning above him. He didn’t pay it any mind as he figured it was just Orkimedes’s machine doing its thing. He did not however pay attention to how the kommandoes were reacting to it as they slowly began to back away.

Gorbad did not care as he placed his giant boot on Yarrick’s chest.

“I am da Warlord. I AM DA WARLORD! AS WARLORD, I ‘AVE DEZTROYED YA ‘OME, KILLED YA MEN, AND LEVELED YA WALLZ ALL WHILE UNITIN’ DA KLANZ LIKE NEVA’ BEFORE! I KNOW DEY DINK ME CRAZED FOR KILLIN’ GHAZ BUT I ‘AD NO CHOICE!”

Snikrot was looking up at the sky at this point. A part of Gorbad wanted to know why he looked uncertain, but he wasn’t done with Yarrick.

“I REGRET KILLIN’ GHAZ BUT I ‘AD TO! BUT ZTILL, I ‘AVE CONQUERED YA CITY! AFTA I BE DONE WIFF YUZ, DA REST OF DA IMPERIUM WILL FILL DA POWA OF MA WAAAGH! WHEN I BE DONE, I WILL BE GIVEN DA POWER OF DA ORK TITAN! WIFF DAT POWA, I WILL MAKE DIS WORLD GREEN! AFTA DAT, I’LL FIND ANOTHER PLACE TO CONQUER! I’LL BE A GOD AND NO ONE, ORK, HUMIE, OR DEMON WILL STOP ME!”

The kommandoes yelped as lightning hit the center of the main room. Gorbad immediately turned around, angrily thinking Orkimedes had betrayed him. But this as different.

Instead of yellow, the lightning was green.

_What is ‘appenin’? ‘Ave I finally been chozen? Has da One Who Creates decided to blezz me wiff da Ork Titan?_

He regained his focus when he heard Snikrot’s breath hitch. Nothing like that has ever happened before as the kommando has seen and fought many things that would make humies wet themselves. But Gorbad focused to look at the blinding lightning.

Despite the powerful green light blinding him, he saw a figure in the middle of the lightning appear. The figure was a huge Ork, just as big as he was.

_Grimgor?_

Then he felt a powerful punch smack him across the jaw. The blow was so powerful that it sent him flying against the wall. Gorbad shook his head to regain his sight as he angrily grabbed Morglor to fight the Ork who dared attack him.

Gorbad halted when he looked at the figure when the lightning began to fade. It couldn’t be. The Ork was dead. He had done the deed himself. He had Krimson Killa tear him to shreds.

“Ghazghkull?”

Gorbad’s mountain-brother emerged from the vanishing lightning. But he was different. Ork scrap and tech took up the majority of Ghazghkull’s body. Large metal limbs replaced what was once his strong legs. On his chest was the legendary Blood-Forged Armor of Grimgor. Where his right arm used to be was a Power Klaw with the sharpest talons he had ever seen. In his flesh left arm was what stunned all of the Orks in the room.

For in his hand was Gitsnik; the legendary battleaxe wielded by Grimgor and the other Goff chiefs before him. The very axe supposedly blessed by the One Who Creates himself.

Gorbad then looked at the face of his friend he had thought he killed. The top of his head was replaced with metal and scrap while his left eye was filled by a bionic eye.

“Da Ork of Metal and Honor,” Gorbad heard Snikrot say softly. “Da Biggest of Dem All.”

Gorbad punched Snikrot resulting in the kommando being sprawled on the ground unconscious. No longer afraid, he whirled Morglor in his hand as he approached his greatest challenge. “I killed ya. Now yuz back for more?”

Ghazghkull moved his metal body forward as he strode to meet with the Ork who left him to die. “Dis ends now Gorbad. I challenge yuz for da title of warlord of Ullanor.”

Gorbad was fuming at this point. He had had enough of all of this. This was it. This was where he would prove himself as the greatest warlord of all. This was his final trial. At first, he had trouble fighting his friend, Warboss, and mountain-brother.

Not anymore.

“I accept. We fight to da deff.”

“Den mountain-brudda,” Ghazghkull said with a hint of sadness but full of purpose, “let us finish what we started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deff Dreads:  
> The large hulking machines are terror personified. When an Ork finds themselves paralyzed and unable to be 'healed' by a Painboy, they have the opportunity to bribe a Mekboy (if they are rich enough) to place them in a large mechanical suit. Surgically placed in the large machine, the Deff Dread becomes the new body of the Ork though he can never leave the suit which would kill the Ork instantly. Regardless, the Deff Dread is a powerful weapon wielded by the Orks to break through tight and impenetrable defenses. Armed with any weapons they can find, the Deff Dreads are truly a terror to fight on the battlefield as it has been said that Deff Dread Orks are pretty much insane. 
> 
> Tempestus Scions:  
> Also known as Storm Troopers by the Imperium citizens, the Tempestus Scions are the elite corp of Guardsmen. The greatest of veterans and the failed initiates of the Ultramarines are recruited into the Militarum Tempestus to become the cold-hearted and deadly soldiers the Imperium uses in times of utter crisis. When a fortress or city finds itself overrun or under siege, it is the Tempestus Scions who charge ahead of the Guardsmen and annihilate the enemy. These powerful squads are the reasons why Orks, madmen of the the Dark Continent, and other enemies find themselves unable to enter the Imperium. Armed with their powerful Hellguns that fire molten rounds into the enemy, the unfeeling Storm Troopers march forward to bring death to the enemies of the Imperium.


	18. The True Warlord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021. I wish you all a better year than the last. Thank you for all of your patience. I know it has been awhile and I hope this chapter and the ones to comes make up for it. I will try to get back to my regular schedule but do know that sometimes I might be late updating. Nevertheless, I hope you continue with me through this story that I treasure writing. Without further ado, enjoy the chapter.

_“-and get me dat scrap. I don’t dink dat Ghaz ‘az long before he truly meets da ‘Un Who Creates.”_

_Ghazghkull weakly growled in pain as he felt the cold scrap being jammed into the stump that used to be his right leg. The drilling, the fusing, the fire, it all hurt Ghazghkull as his grip on life was continuing to slip. Somehow, when he felt the scrap touch his broken bones, he felt even more pain._

_Many times, Ghazghkull asked for death. For release. For freedom. But something kept him from leaving. The annoying part was that he didn’t know what it was._

_As far as Ghazghkull could remember, he had been in and out of consciousness after the fight with Gorbad. He felt numb all over and his senses were basically dying or already did. All he remembered was that he was found by someone and was dragged to this hellhole._

_Ghazghkull wanted to tell them to stop talking and let him die but he was in no shape to even speak._

_“I be losin’ ‘im again. If da vitalz keep droppin’, dere will be no way for me to propa-ly zave ‘im.” Ghazghkull turned his blurred eye to the Ork that was operating on him. He was small so he assumed he was Painboy. It would certainly explain his knowing of Cyborknetics. “I ‘ave to admit; da warboss be stronga den he zertainly looks right now.”_

_“Is it still possible to save him?”_

_Ghazghkull’s one remaining eye opened wider as he recognized the fluent sentences of his trusted friend and advisor. “Wurr…” Ghazghkull said weakly._

_Wurrzag’s blurry figure moved over the operating table as he placed his hand on the dying Ork’s head. Ghazghkull felt a sparkling power flow within him when the Weirdboy touched him. It felt exhilarating and relaxing at the same time._

_“He is fading Grotsnik. He will not survive unless you replace the dying organs and save him.”_

_Grotsnik, the small Ork, clearly was annoyed by the comment. “I be workin’ as fast as I can. But da phact of da matta’ be dat all his organs be dead or missin’. It be a miracle he be survivin’ dis long. I can put as many parts on ‘im as I want but it be impossible if he doesn’t want to live.”_

_“What exactly are you saying, Painboy?”_

_“Yuz already know. Ghazghkull wantz to die. Juzt look at ‘im.” Ghazghkull couldn’t see it but he felt the painboy’s finger pointed at him. “I knowz I wouldn’t want to go on like dat.” After that, silence filled the hut besides the sound of Grotsnik rummaging for parts._

_Ghazghkull then felt himself slipping in and out of death. He wanted to fight for Wurrzag but he was too injured. More than that, he was just tired of fighting. He had fought for so long and had charged into battle against multiple enemies. Orks, Ratmen, the bug-things, and the Chaos Boyz (what the Orks call the hordes of the Dark Continent) had all fallen before him and he had taken the heads of many a challenger and monster. During this time, he had never felt so alive. He felt it leave him when Grimgor sailed to the Dark Continent. At first, Ghazghkull was hopeful that his ancestor would return with stories of victories and battles, but he never returned. Day by day, his hope continued to fade as he continued to try to fight to keep the Ork Kultur alive so that Grimgor would find it just like he left it._

_But he lost that battle and on that day, he realized that his mentor and idol was never coming back._

_From then on, Ghazghkull was angrier and meaner than he was before. Any who crossed him died swiftly and painfully. He would still fight for the Ork Kultur but with little effort. He had given up and he was willing to let that happen._

_Then Bert’oldt came into his story._

_Through him, he was reminded of his former self. What Grimgor taught him, what he believed in, and despite Bert’oldt’s fear, his courage. The way the boy willingly risked his life for a girl he didn’t know. The way he volunteered to sneak in and help him find out what Orkimedes was up to. Trusting Ghazghkull with his innermost feelings and insecurities._

_It was because of Bert’oldt that life and duty had returned to him._

**_Da Ork Titan was made for passion._ ** _Ghazghkull heard the words of Grimgor as if he was standing right next to him. **It looks for da one wiff da greatest passion. Da one who doesn’t fight for ‘imself but for others instead.**_

_Ghazghkull felt sadness creep into him and for some strange reason, he wasn’t fighting it._

**_One who would gladly die for others._ **

_Ghazghkull then felt a tear trail down his rough green cheeks. This was nothing that any Ork had ever done. He never thought himself or any Ork for that matter to be hit by these types of emotions._

_He now understood why Grimgor had left Ullanor to fight on the Dark Continent. He went there to save the Orks and Humies from the tides of darkness that almost consumed Ullanor. Grimgor was a legendary fighter and with the Ork Titan, he was nigh unstoppable. With that power, he could cause serious trouble and setbacks for the enemy. With it, he could save Ullanor for many years._

_Passion made Grimgor strong. All his life, Ghazghkull didn’t know how to crack the puzzle and solve what Grimgor meant. With Bert’oldt’s help, he finally understood what it meant._

_He knew he was still unworthy of the Ork Titan and knew he wasn’t going to get it. But now, he knew he couldn’t give up. He needed to stop Gorbad. He needed to save the Ork race. He needed to save Bert’oldt._

_“Wurr-za-zag,” Ghazghkull reached out and thankfully grabbed the large bicep of Wurrzag. “Must… help. Must… save… Bert’oldt.”_

_He felt one of Wurrzag’s hands being placed on Ghazghkull’s hand as he lowered it back to his side._

_“I knew you wouldn’t be gone. I knew you could fight.” Ghazghkull felt a somber tone take over da Great Green Prophet. “But your body is ravaged, and you barely have any Waaagh energy left. I know you want to, but you cannot fight.”_

_“But I need… I must-” Wurrzag lightly tapped Ghazghkull’s head with his Powerstick._

_“Let me finish,” Wurrzag said. He then went over and placed his hand on Ghazghkull’s shoulder. “You need help getting the power of the Waaagh back. Only with that can you defeat Gorbad and save all of Orkdom. You may not know how…… but I do.”_

_He felt a surge of power flow through him. Suddenly, Ghazghkull could see out of his right eye again. He was still mad that his other eye was torn out and replaced with a cybernetic eye. When his eyesight cleared, he saw the mask of Wurrzag being removed from his face. Ghazghkull slowly looked at the face of Wurrzag._

_No Ork had ever seen Wurrzag without his mask. Now that Ghazghkull could see it, he could actually tell just how old Wurrzag was. His face was aged like a raisin, he no longer had his tusks, and his face barely had any green left on it. Instead, it was a weird mixture of white and green._

_But what really made Ghazghkull astonished was Wurrzag’s eyes. They had no pupils and no color. All he saw was whiteness. Wurrzag had been blind this entire time._

_“Surprised?” Ghazghkull didn’t know what to say. “Heh, don’t worry. Using the power of the Waaagh, I have been able to see all things. I’m wasn’t handicapped.”_

_He then moved his mask and placed it on a heap of junk. Ghazghkull wasn’t sure what he was doing but Wurrzag called Grotsnik over. “Grotsnik, get the remaining pieces and get ready to place them on. He will need it for the coming battle.” It was clear that Grotsnik was about to argue but Wurrzag just glared at him. Grotsnik just shrugged and went to get more pieces._

_Wurrzag then went back over to Ghazghkull. He then grabbed his arm and shook it just like Ghazghkull and Gorbad did all the time._

_“My time has finally come, Ghazghkull. For years, I have known that I will be there when the Ork of Metal and Honor emerges. I knew what I would have to do to help him.” Wurrzag then leaned over and hugged Ghazghkull, just like Bert’oldt did. “I am glad it was you. You were always my favorite.”_

_“Wurrzag… wat-”_

_Wurrzag then went over to the empty center of the hut. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed. He then whistled and through the door came his old and faithful boar companion; Spleenrippa. Spleenrippa laid down next to Wurrzag as Wurrzag patted and scratched him. “It is time, old boy.”_

_Spleenrippa rubbed his head against Wurrzag’s hand as lightning appeared from his hand. In a few minutes, Spleenrippa laid his head down and from what Ghazghkull could tell, he wasn’t breathing. “I’ll see you there.”_

_Before Ghazghkull could ask, even more lightning began to spawn around Wurrzag as he smiled. In only a matter of minutes, Wurrzag was surrounded by a little storm of energy and lightning. His skin began to turn green as the lightning filled the room._

_At that moment, Ghazghkull knew what he was doing. “No. Yuz can’t.”_

_“I can and I will. I believe in you and I know you will lead the Orks to glory in the final days. With my Waaagh, you will be the most powerful Ork to ever live. You have been chosen by the One Who Creates to be the Ork of Metal and Honor. This is your destiny. Within you, I leave my secrets, my power, and my dreams. Not that you will need it though.”_

_“Wait…”_

_“Go Ghazghkull. Save the Orks. Save the world. Save Bertholdt. I know you can do it.” For what Ghazghkull knew what was going to be the last time, Wurrzag finally showed his smile. “I’ll be with you every step of the way just as Grimgor is.”_

_Lightning then shot into Ghazghkull’s body as he felt the power within him begin to heal him and make him stronger. He felt the scrap and gears attached to his body began to meld and become one. Ghazghkull screamed as it was happening. He could feel the power of the God Titan flow within him._

_Before the bright lights overtook him, he looked over one last time to see his advisor and friend for the last time. In his final moments, he let out one cry._

_“WAAAGH!”_

……

Ghazghkull grunted as his battleaxe met with Gorbad’s axe. Any normal Ork would have stumbled back from recoil but Ghazghkull was no normal Ork. Ghazghkull huffed as he tried to force Gorbad on his knees. With his new mechanical body, he had the additional strength to back up his own and it would have been easy to bring Gorbad down.

However, Gorbad was not going to make it easy.

Ghazghkull felt the hard head of Gorbad collide with his own, sending Ghazghkull stumbling in a daze. Unsure, Ghazghkull blindly swung his battleaxe to see if he could hit Gorbad but to no avail. Gorbad easily evaded the swing and brought his armored fist to Ghazghkull’s face. Ghazghkull was sent to the ground on one knee and his huge power klaw planted itself on the ground to steady himself.

Gorbad did not wait as he charged with a bellow. Ghazghkull could hear him coming behind him so he quickly jumped backwards with the boost of his power klaw. Ghazghkull’s mechanical body slammed right into Gorbad and they were both sent into a wall. Gorbad was slammed into it while Ghazghkull simply bounced off of him.

Ghazghkull quickly steadied himself on his feet. Part of him was still trying to figure out what was going on. After Wurrzag transferred his powerful Waaagh energy into Ghazghkull, he had blacked out. All he saw before it went dark was the bright light of green lightning flowing into his body and healing him. It also seemed to help merge his organic and mechanical parts together as if it was his original body.

He remembered that before he blacked out, he said he wanted to save the world and stop Gorbad. Only when he regained consciousness did he find himself in front of Gorbad himself. He had no idea how he got there but that didn’t stop him from confidently challenging him.

In retrospect, he probably should have tested out his skills with his new body before he challenged the strongest Ork in Ullanor.

Gorbad then launched from the wall with his armored hand grabbing the top of Ghazghkull’s head. Before he could react, he felt Gorbad’s other hand take hold of his lower body and no sooner did he find himself above Gorbad’s head. With that, Gorbad lowered his body and charged straight through the wall.

Ghazghkull was slammed through five different walls until the two Orks emerged outside of Field Command. No sooner did Gorbad throw Ghazghkull across the ground as he was sent skittering like a skipping rock on water. His movement stopped when he hit the stairs of Field Command.

Ghazghkull was a little slow to pick himself up but managed to turn and ready his fist for the charging Gorbad. Gorbad leaped into the air with Morglor held above his head to deal the killing blow. He was shocked when he found the huge power klaw rearing to meet with his face.

The heavy blow sent the Warlord flying as he hit the statue of a human figure hard. The blow was so great that Gorbad’s collision sent the statue crumbling to the ground.

With that, Ghazghkull winced as he stood to his feet. He felt great pain within every muscle of his body but somehow, he felt them healing easily. No sooner did he feel much better and ready to fight again. _Is this da powa of da Ork Titan? Or is it da Waaagh?_

Ghazghkull snapped to his senses when he heard a grunt from where the statue fell. Suddenly, the decapitated head of the statue flew through the air towards the Warboss. Surprised, Ghazghkull ducked out of the way. The head landed right on the stairs, creating more ruin and dust.

Ghazghkull coughed as he slowly moved away from the stairs as he slowly approached the moving figure of Gorbad. Gorbad looked battered and angry. He was bleeding in various places and had some nasty gashes on his body. Still, Gorbad shook them off and continued to want to fight. His tenacity of staying in the fight was something that made him feared by all as he learned to feel the pain after the fight was done.

“We’z can ztill ztop fightin’, Gorbad. I don’t wantz to ‘urt ya but yuz leavin’ me no choice.” Ghazghkull lowered his guard as he saw Gorbad stop. “It’z not too late brudda. We’z can make dis right. We can ztop dis and make a betta’ Ullanor. Da Ullanor Grimgor worked zo ‘ard to make.”

Gorbad looked to the ground. Ghazghkull could tell that his friend was still in there. He knew that part of Gorbad didn’t agree with this. He then took the time to look around the city of Armageddon. Ghazghkull followed his lead as he observed the dead bodies of Orks, humans, Trolls, and few Titans. Flames and smoke covered the sky, buildings crumbling to dust, and gunfire echoing throughout the city.

This would have been an Ork’s dream. To enter battle and destroy the enemy. With a battle like this, the eternal battlefield of the One Who Creates would be open to all who participated. But Ghazghkull was no such Ork though he wished he was one. It would have been so much easier.

Gorbad then looked at his axe. After a few minutes of staring at his reflection, he finally spoke. “Would I ztill be Warlord?”

Ghazghkull lowered his head. “No.”

Gorbad let out a sad sigh. It was then quickly replaced with anger and hate as he began whirling Morglor above his head. “Then no. I be da Warlord who will bring dis world unda’ my kontrol. I be chozen by da One Who Creates. Dis be ma destiny. Nuffin yuz can say will convince me otha’wize.”

Ghazghkull sadly flexed his power klaw and readied Gitsnik in his other hand. He knew that he wouldn’t back down. He knew what he had to do. He just didn’t want to. He had already lost so much. Grimgor, Grumluk, Gazbag, his home, Wurrzag, and his own body. Gorbad was the last thing he had of his Ork life and here he was as his enemy.

“Yuz want da title of Warlord? Den yuz gonna ‘ave to kill me. But yuz already knew dat.” Gorbad began to move forward and charge right at Ghazghkull.

“I did. And I’z guess I ‘ave no choice now,” Ghazghkull whispered. With that, he charged to meet his former friend in battle once again as he raised Gitsnik high.

……

Bertholdt dodged out of the way of Titan Briggs’s giant armored fist as it slammed into the side of the building. Bertholdt followed up with a dive when the giant arm swiped at him, barely missing him.

Bertholdt was really starting to consider how much luck he had left.

He was lucky to survive the encounter where Marcel was killed. He was lucky that after he destroyed the wall and emerged from his husk, the Titan that could have eaten him just simply passed him by. He was lucky to be bought by Ghazghkull and even saved by him. He was also lucky that the people of Armageddon didn’t shoot him on the spot.

No matter how many times he survived, Bertholdt knew he should have died all of those times. He was starting to wonder when his luck would run out.

The roar of Titan Briggs snapped him out of his daze as Bertholdt quickly zoomed away. He could hear the whirring of the Big Shootas and was ironically lucky enough to dive behind a building just as the Big Shootas fired. The bullets hit the building but Bertholdt was safe behind the wall.

Rifle shots came from the distance. Bertholdt peaked out to see Selene firing her rifle at the face of Titan Briggs. Many of the bullets bounced off his armored face while the others went into his jaw. However, Titan Briggs’s attention turned to her as it ran to meet her.

Just then, Brady tumbled through the building and conveniently landed right next to him. Bertholdt quickly went over and helped lean against the wall.

“Damn, that guy is fast. But I guess that is the advantage of using ODM. Or whatever you can call that scrappy knockoff he’s wearing,” Brady said as he shook his head. “I’m going to rip that guy's other eye out.”

“Wait,” Bertholdt said. “Do you know how to use ODM? The thing people in the Walls use in the military?”

“My dad was in the military remember? He taught me a few tricks when he was in a ‘good’ mood.” Honestly, he had forgotten about that. But since everything was happening so fast right now, Brady didn’t seem to care.

“How are we supposed to beat those two?” Brady said as he peered through the hole in the wall. Bertholdt looked out as well to see Titan Briggs smashing a building to probably kill Selene and on his back was Valmir, laughing evilly.

“Like I said, Valmir is the key to stopping this attack. If the Orks lose their lightning, the Orks lose one of their big weapons. At least temporarily,” Bertholdt said as he readied his sword. Of course, Bertholdt didn’t actually think the lightning was going to cease. Orkimedes would probably just fire randomly as the Mad Ork didn’t care about friendly fire. He would just laugh and if left alone, he would destroy the entire city just for fun.

There was also the fact that the Orks were continuing to swarm the place. He knew the Guardsmen were brave and would hold their ground as long as they could, but they were limited and outnumbered. Bertholdt could hear the number of cannons decreasing and with their firepower vanishing, the less Orks would die from Terran bombardment.

 _Quit kidding yourself. We know you don’t actually care about these people._ Bertholdt huffed as his devil began chirping in his head. _You just want revenge on Valmir. I’m down for that. Just transform and smash him with ease._

 _No way. That would kill Brady and Selene. I’m not killing them to get revenge. Revenge is not that important._ The devil began chuckling after Bertholdt’s mental statement.

_Quit lying to yourself. I’m you. I know you want to. But your stupid morality is what is keeping you from taking revenge. Transform and squash that bug. Then we can get out of here._

“Shut up.” Brady looked to Bertholdt as heard him whisper that to himself. Bertholdt then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as Brady raised an eyebrow.

“You are strange. You know that?”

“I’m starting to realize that,” Bertholdt said as he regained his focus and looked out the city. Bertholdt wanted to transform. With the power of the Colossal, he knew he could do something and lend a powerful hand to the Terrans. That is, if they didn’t shoot him first.

However, Bertholdt still didn’t feel right after the draining of his power. He felt like he was losing his power every day as his wounds continued to heal slower. He really had no explanation for it.

It was as if the Colossal Titan was slowly leaving Bertholdt.

“Look,” Bertholdt said as he walked out of the building, “The nape is where we have to target. If we can get a deep enough hit on it, Titan Briggs will fall and die. With it out of the fight, Valmir wouldn’t stand a chance against all of us.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Brady said as he readied his axe as he followed Bertholdt, “the man has the eyes and stance of a killer. This guy has probably had his fair share of fights. Plus, didn’t you say he was a soldier?”

“Yeah. Does that-”

“So that means we can’t underestimate him. Look at what he has done with the Titan. We can’t take him for granted. Besides, shouldn’t we be focused on the Titan himself?”

Bertholdt didn’t have an answer immediately. Both were equal threats of their own right. If they stayed together, there was no chance for them to be defeated. _Should I run?_ Bertholdt thought as he looked at his blade in question. But after looking at his reflection in the blade, he tightened his grip around it.

“Follow my lead.”

Before Brady could say anything, Bertholdt ran towards the rampaging Titan Briggs. Bertholdt really had no idea of this would work. He had been trained to be a Warrior and Warriors were ready for every scenario. This wasn’t one of those scenarios as he sure didn’t remember a lesson about another planet or monsters.

Bertholdt’s resolve didn’t budge as he stopped a few feet away from Titan Briggs. The armored Briggs was still smashing away at buildings, trying to squish the elusive Selene as she hopped from building to building. It was amazing to see Selene at work. She was a little younger than he was, but she acted like she had been trained for this. He guessed that years of living in Ork confinement really brought the Warrior out of her.

But she wouldn’t last long by herself.

Out of the corner of Bertholdt’s eye, he could see Valmir swooping through the buildings and making his way towards Selene. After taking a few seconds to muster up his courage, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “VALMIR!” That made the man stop as he landed and turned to look at Bertholdt. “I WONDER. ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE THE BEST AT WHAT YOU DO? BECAUSE IF YOU ARE THE LAST OF YOUR MEN, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT YOU MUST HAVE RUN AWAY WHILE THEY TRIED TO FIGHT.”

“SO WHAT?” Valmir fired back. “I WASN’T GOING TO RISK MY LIFE FOR THEM. HELL, I EVEN STRANGLED ONE TO DEATH. DON’T TRY TO TARNISH MY HUMANITY. I DON’T HAVE IT ANYMORE. IN THIS WORLD, IT IS KILL OR BE KILLED.”

“SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT YOU AREN’T HUMAN ANYMORE?”

“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT. AND IT IS GLORIOUS. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO ME AND BE A MONSTER YOURSELF.”

“BUT I AM NOT A DOG LIKE YOU.” Valmir’s cocky demeanor stiffened as he heard that. As soon as the words left Bertholdt’s mouth, Valmir’s mood immediately darkened as he glared at the little Warrior. “YOU SAID YOU LOOK AFTER YOURSELF RIGHT? BUT ALL I HAVE SEEN IS YOU TAKING ORDERS. WHEN ONE PERSON SAYS SIT, YOU SIT. I’M SURE YOU ROLL OVER JUST AS QUICK. YOU EVEN ACTED LIKE A PUPPY WHEN I NEARLY KILLED YOU IN THE MOUNTAIN AND YOU RAN BACK TO ORKIMEDES.”

Bertholdt could hear the mercenary growl.

“I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT I TOOK THE EYE OF A COWARDLY DOG WHO ACTS LIKE A KILLER. I GUESS YOU AREN’T A DEVIL AFTER ALL. NO WONDER I HAVE BEATEN YOUR ASS TWICE.”

“RRRRRAAAAAGH!” Valmir screamed so loudly that made even Titan Briggs turn around and flinch. Valmir launched himself from the building and zoomed towards Bertholdt with blades drawn. Bertholdt quickly readied his sword but found that he didn’t have to worry.

Because Brady slammed himself into Valmir sending him tumbling into another building.

“You really have a knack for getting under someone’s skin, noodleneck.” Brady said as he cracked his neck after the huge hit he laid on Valmir.

“I’m starting to notice that too.” He could hear movement from the building. If Valmir had a metal eye implanted into him, it wouldn’t be far off to guess that he had other metal parts in him as well. “Go help Selene. You’re basically built to fight monsters. The Titan probably isn’t any different from the things you fought in Black Crag.”

“Yeah, sure. You think that,” Brady said sarcastically. “While Brady the monster slayer is busy, what are you going to do?”

“If there is anything about Valmir I know clear as day is that his pride is his downfall. Now that I took my shot at it, Valmir will want to kill me. He’ll be focused on me. Without Valmir, Briggs won’t be coordinated, he will just be another monster.” Bertholdt then placed his free hand on Brady’s shoulder. “I can handle Valmir, you need to help Selene.”

“But what about-”

“Just go.” Brady was surprised by Bertholdt’s commanding voice. He wasn’t the only one as Bertholdt was mentally surprised at his attitude. Luckily, Brady took the hint and made his way towards Titan Briggs.

Bertholdt turned his focus back to Valmir. He had returned into his view with a glare on both his real and fake eye. His two blades at his side, he snarled as he approached the child who had been a thorn in his side.

“It ends now, runt. I mean it. I am going to kill you and feed you to my Titan. Get ready kid, because I am going to make sure the last face you see is me.”

……

Gunfire continued to consume the streets as the 11th Antari Rifles fought to hold their positions as the Orks advanced to pressure them into retreating. Any normal man or woman would have retreated at the sight of the massing Ork attack. But the 11th Antari Rifles were not cowards. They were soldiers and they would die like soldiers.

With their leader and hero, Commissar Severina Raine, they would never retreat. If she didn’t run and stayed to face the danger, they would too.

Severina continued to fight like a master of combat. Wielding her sword _Penance_ in her right hand and her lucky pistol _Evanfall,_ she cut down any Ork that dare come near her and if they tried to fire at her or any of her comrades, a bullet would be shot through the enemy’s head.

The defenders of Armageddon were on the losing side of the battle. About three quarters of the armored divisions were wiped out and the few remaining were not enough to continue firing volleys of heavy rounds at the breach to keep the Ork swarm back. There were too many Orks in the city and district by district was falling at an alarming rate. By the end of the day, Armageddon would be under the control of the green tide.

However, the lightning strikes had halted. Severina had no explanation for it but she knew that it was a small break for Armageddon. With it, the tanks were able to take out many groups of Orks while also scrapping some Deff Dreads and Wartrukks. Even some of the giant humanoid beasts Bertholdt called Titans had fallen to Terran ammunition.

But it wouldn’t be enough. The only way to stop the Orks would be to take out their leadership and Gorbad was nowhere to be seen. The last she heard was that his dragon was on its way to Field Command to no doubt kill the Lord Commissar. She attempted a few times to fight her way there but every corner she turned was an Ork horde ready to attack.

“COMMISSAR!”

Severina quickly regained her focus as she noticed a large Ork carrying what intel described as a Snazzgun, basically a heavy automatic Shoota, heading towards the Guardsmen. “FLASH GIT! DUCK AND COVER!” Severina was tackled by her fellow Guardsman as the Flash Git fired his heavy rounds. Severina made it to the ground but the Guardsman was blasted across the street.

Clenching her teeth, Severina ordered her men to cover her as she rose from her cover to attack the remaining Orks head on. As the Flash Git began to fire, the Guardsmen unleashed their rounds, dealing deadly damage to the Orks. As they fell, Severina sliced through any who stood in her way while firing her pistol out of her reach.

However, the Flash Git recovered from his initial shock and fired at the Commissar. Unfortunately for the Ork, she was already too close. Severina fired a couple bullets into the body of the Ork, causing him to stagger back. That was all Severina needed as she leaped into the air and slammed _Penance_ through the Orks throat. The Ork’s wound erupted with blood as Severina forced it to the ground.

The other Orks, seeing their leader dead, turned tail and ran but they didn’t make it far as the 11th Antari Rifles mowed down the cowardly greenskins.

Snarling, Severina pulled her blade out of the dead Ork and moved to meet with the rest of her troops. This was getting her nowhere. Yarrick needed to be saved and supported. If the men knew he was alive and well, they would surely rally behind him and in doing so, the hope of reclaiming their city would be boosted.

But with the numerous Ork resistance, there was almost no chance for her to get there.

“Commissar,” Severina turned to see a messenger from one of the remaining regiments meet her in the middle of the street. “Corporal Reginalds of the 12th Regiment. Our scouts report that the Orks around Field Command have stopped attacking. They are holding their position there.”

“Explain, Corporal.”

“I’m not sure how to say this ma’am. But the scouts report the Orks are watching two massive Orks go at it in the middle of Field Command. The scouts do confirm that the Lord Commissar is still alive, but he is badly wounded. He is in the custody of the Orks; primarily of Snikrot.”

Severina held her breath. The Lord Commissar was still alive but unfortunately, he was in the hands of Snikrot. The people of Armageddon know all too well the works of the legendary kommando. If he had the Lord Commissar, there was sadly little she could do.

“Corporal, what do you mean two Orks are going at it?”

“Ma’am. I’m not sure if this is accurate but the scouts determine that Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw is one of them. They could not identify who the other was, but the majority of his body was covered in metal.”

 _So Gorbad is dueling another Ork. That would explain why the Ork resistance seems lighter. They must be waiting to see who wins._ Severina pondered this after she sent the messenger to get checked up by her medic. _Is there a chance that I could lead the remaining Guardsmen to rescue Yarrick?_

“Commissar. We just got a vox cast from the 19th Regiment. It appears that the armored monster has been spotted. It is causing havoc down in the financial district, but it seems occupied. I’m not sure if this is true, but it seems three children are fighting it right now. The last thing they said was that one of them looked like the boy that came from outside Armageddon.”

 _Bertholdt_ , Severina thought to herself as she kept her cursing within her. The boy who informed her about Brigg’s death was in combat with the monster that broke the walls. If they managed to succeed, the Orks would lose a big target.

But did the children have what it took to take down the beast? Severina knew that they couldn’t. Not without help. The armored monstrosity was too much for them. With the help of the 11th Antari Rifles, the beast could be slain. But that would mean leaving Yarrick to the Orks.

“Commissar,” her brother-in-arms said, “what are your orders?”

……

Gorbad roared as he slammed Ghazghkull’s face into the ground over and over again. Weirdly enough, Ghazghkull didn’t feel much of the pain as he should have. He guessed that it was one of the advantages of being mostly metal and scrap.

“I be da Warlord,” Gorbad said as he slammed Ghazghkull’s head into the crater Gorbad was making with said head. “I be da Warlord. I be da Warlord. I BE DA WARLORD!”

That was when Ghazghkull reacted and connected the back of his metallic head with the jaw of Gorbad. This made Gorbad stagger which gave Ghazghkull all the time he needed to backhand his foe with his giant power klaw. Gorbad was smacked into the ground and Ghazghkull went to grab Gitsnik. His biological hand firmly gripped around the battleaxe, he brought it down right on Gorbad’s shoulder.

Gorbad roared in pain as he twirled his chained axe in the air like a ball and chain. Whether it was strategy or blind luck, Morglor twirled around Ghazghkull’s neck as Gorbad pulled, bringing him down to the ground again.

Gorbad quickly emerged from the ground and brought a heavy kick to Ghazghkull’s face. With his former friend dazed, Gorbad began pulling again as he began to spin around. No sooner did Ghazghkull find himself going full circles around Gorbad as he was slammed into walls and rocks.

With a powerful grunt, Gorbad released Ghazghkull from Morglor’s grasp as Ghazghkull was sent flying into an abandoned Terran tank. He hit it so hard that the vehicle exploded on impact. The few Orks watching were awed at the sight.

Ghazghkull emerged from the burning husk of the vehicle and staggered towards Gorbad who was approaching him, with Morglor fiercely twirling in Gorbad’s hand. Ghazghkull fell to one knee as he felt fatigue hit him like a truck. The two had been battling for hours and no sooner did many of the Orks within the walls abandon their attacks and positions to watch the epic fight.

Ghazghkull looked around at the crowd. Many of the Orks were of lesser klans who wanted to prove themselves in battle by charging into battle first. Packs of savage Orks filled the crowds as well along with bands of Warbikerz. But what really stood out to Ghazghkull was the majority of Goffs and Ironclaws that were in the crowd. He figured that the two greatest warrior klans out of the bigger klans would be here but where were the others? The Bad Moonz? The Evil Sunz? The Blood Axes?

Those were the other klans that would be highly invested in the war. The other big klans, the Deathskulls and Snakebites, weren’t really into war and were more of post-battle scavengers and traditionalists so he knew Gorbad wouldn’t have them fighting. But to have only Goffs and Ironclaws?

_Wait a minute. Could dat backstabbin’ Ork-?_

Ghazghkull didn’t finish his thought as he heard Gorbad charge at him again. Ghazghkull growled. This was getting him nowhere. The longer they fought, the more likely the city would fall. Sure, the Orks were distracted now but soon they would get bored of watching and go back to pillaging Armageddon. He had to end this before things got out of hand. He knew what he had to do.

_But kan I do it?_

Just as Gorbad was about to connect his axe with Ghazghkull, the former Warboss held up his metallic klaw in defense. The force of his charge sent Ghazghkull on his back, but he kept his power klaw in front of him as Gorbad continued to hit it with Morglor.

Gorbad roared again and thwacked his power klaw to the ground leaving Ghazghkull vulnerable. Angrily, Gorbad brought down his axe on Ghazghkull’s flesh arm, burying it deep into him. Ghazghkull roared in pain as Gorbad sat on Ghazghkull’s metallic body and released rage-filled punches onto Ghazghkull’s head. Blow after blow, Ghazghkull felt the anger, rage, and bitterness in his mountain-brudda’s body being laid out on him.

Ghazghkull was beginning to accept defeat. He couldn’t do it. Gorbad had no trouble beating him and trying to kill him but Ghazghkull couldn’t. They had become warriors together. Side by side, they had fought all kinds of foes and emerged victorious together. They stood together in da Last Big Fight under their mentor and ancestor Grimgor. They had always had each other’s back and were mountain-bruddas. How could Ghazghkull kill that Ork?

_“I get that you are trying to honor your ancestor. He followed our kustoms, just as you are now.”_

_“I ain’t betraying ma mountain-brudda.”_

_“What do yuz zee when yuz look at da idol, Ghazghkull?”_

_“Why? I’m your slave. I’m replaceable.”_

_“YOU AREN’T GRIMGOR!”_

_“Dat is what an Ork is supposed to zee. Strength and powa’.”_

_“You two are not the same Ork; even if you want to be.”_

_“I did not know you considered me a friend. Believe me when I say I…… I am honored to hear that. I don’t… really have any.”_

_“Why’z I be different?”_

_“We ‘ave to change Ghazghkull. Da world be changin’ and we’z ‘ave to change wiff it.”_

_“Do what you feel is right, Thraka. I will pray that when the time comes, I hope you choose to make the right choice.”_

_“Does it make yuz feel powerful?”_

_“I’ll be with you every step of the way just as Grimgor is.”_

Ghazghkull roared as electricity burst from his body, sending Gorbad flying backwards and hitting a Wartrukk.

All of the bystanding Orks watched in amazement and disbelief as Ghazghkull, chief of the Goffs and former Warboss of the Orks, rose to his feet. Lightning filled his veins and surrounded his body as he felt the power of the Waaagh fill his body. Ghazghkull leaned down to pick up Gitsnik and began to approach the shocked Gorbad.

“BOYZ! KILL DIS TRAITOR! I DEMAND IT!”

The Orks looked at each other in confusion and fear. They wanted to obey their Warlord but looking at Ghazghkull, they knew they wouldn’t stand a chance. Not only was he strong and powerful, it was clear that he wielded a power only a Weirdboy could obtain.

“No, Gorbad.” Both Ghazghkull and Gorbad looked to see Snikrot, a wounded Yarrick, and his kommandoes approaching them. “He challenged ya and yuz accepted. Dis be yuz fight and yuz to fight alone. To dishonor dat zhows dat yuz ain’t a Warlord, but a coward.” He barked an order and the kommandoes raised their rifles. “Any Ork who darez interrupt dis duel will be zhot. Underztand?”

The Orks backed off as Snikrot nodded at Ghazghkull. With a nod back, Ghazghkull refocused himself on Gorbad.

“It be over, Gorbad. Give up and we can turn dis around. We don’t ‘ave to fight anymore. ‘Elp me save our kultur. As friends. As mountain-bruddas.”

Gorbad snarled as he stood to his feet and whirled Morglor once again. “Neva.”

“Den right ‘ere and right now; we’z ph’nish dis once and for all.”

As Ghazghkull was about to charge, he was interrupted by the volley of artillery shells that hit their area.

……

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!”

Brady continued to mutter that under his breath until the giant hand of Titan Briggs slammed down on the ground, forcing Brady to dodge out of the way.

 _Dammit. This thing is strong._ Brady had fought a vast variety of beasts and combatants in the arena of Black Crag, but he had never faced a Titan before. Sure, he never really had to worry about one when he resided within the walls because they could never get in. But now here he was, fighting a huge Titan with armor protecting its essential parts.

_Thank fuck that he isn’t completely armored. I don’t want to imagine what an Armored Titan looks like._

“HEADS UP!” Selene’s cry alerted Brady quick enough to roll out of the way of the titanic hands smashing into the ground. Brady quickly stood up and ran as Titan Briggs fired his Big Shootas from his shoulders. Thankfully, Brady could rely on Orkish technology to be made for power and wounds and not for accuracy.

Brady ran into the building with Titan Briggs chomping at him from behind. The giant rammed his head straight into the wall, causing the giant to go still for a little. But it wasn’t long before Titan Briggs reared back his giant power klaw fist and readying to swipe at him. Panicked, Brady quickly looked around and found a rope. He hurried over and climbed the rope just in the nick of time.

Well, almost the nick of time. The sole of his foot was nick by the sharp klaw of Briggs as he was about to escape. Cursing, Brady continued up the rope until he reached the roof. He felt the building shake as Titan Briggs was beginning to thrash erratically. Without thinking, Brady took off and jumped to the other rooftop; with the building collapsing beneath his feet.

Luckily, it was a good enough jump for him to grab hold of the rooftop and pull himself up. While catching his breath, he watched the house cover Titan Briggs with its remains. Brady let out a small sigh of exhaustion until the pain of his foot reignited.

He then felt himself get angry as he looked at the cut on his foot. Small drops of blood were coming out and no sooner did Brady feel a burning pain in his head. “No. Not now. Not this time.” Brady put both hands on his head and began scratching. This was not a good time to unleash Kharn. Sure he would probably annihilate the Titan but Brady didn’t know if he would stop there.

But it wasn’t easy keeping himself under control. Every time his brain and nerves felt the slightest bit of anger, fear, or rage, the _Butcher’s Nails_ (as Grey Hair called them) would slowly pinch into his brain and releasing his dark emotions into his bipolar berserker.

He could hear the berserker snarling at him; begging him to set him loose.

“Hey,” Brady acted quickly, and immediately readied his axe _Gorechild_ to strike. “Calm down. It’s me remember?” Someone Brady couldn’t quite see held up her hands nonthreateningly. The whispers in Brady’s head were raised to yells as Brady tried to keep it together.

Brady screamed as he went to his knees trying to cover his ears; even though he knew that it was pointless. He could feel his muscles beginning to grow and his eyes were becoming more bloodshot.

He then felt the hands of that somebody press against his shoulders. “Don’t let him take you. Fight back. You are in control; not him.” Brady was then taken back to that day. That dreadful day where his abusive father hurt his sister. Her screaming drove him into a massive rage, and he found himself charging into the room and smashing his head. His mind flashed to him, kneeling over his dead father with blood on Brady’s hands.

He remembered the Military Police bursting through his house and coming to attack him. All he remembered in his rage that he would not let them. Their screams clouded his mind as he felt himself losing himself again.

_Brady._

Brady looked under the bed as he was killing the MPs to see his sister, hiding under the bed with her toy wolf.

_Stop. You’re hurting them._

Then they started to wrap him up with ropes and ODM cables. He was wiggling and thrashing violently as they began to drag him away.

_Come back. Don’t leave me._

“…………ap out of it. Don’t let him take you.”

Brady’s vision began to clear as he shook away the visions. His eyes began to register where he was. The dark figure of a girl whose hands were on his shoulder and cheek. He couldn’t make out who it was, but he felt comfortable and safe. Without thinking, he grabbed the back of the girl’s head and brought it his.

“I’m back, Cara. I wouldn’t leave you again. I promise.” He then kissed the girl’s forehead and hugged the girl tight.

“Let go of me, maniac.” Brady opened his eyes again to find that he could see clearly now. He felt his rage disappear and his hostility gone. He then looked down to find the struggling form of Selene in his arms.

Disgusted and slightly humiliated, Brady let go of her and shoved her away. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“What am I doing? You’re the one who hugged me and fucking kissed my forehead. What the fuck am I doing? What the fuck were you doing?” Selene said angrily at Brady. In his head, Brady knew that he went crazy trying to stop himself from turning into Kharn. He knew that his hallucinations caused him to act like a psycho and madman. He knew Selene was right.

But no way was he letting her know that.

“Stop fretting. In case you forgot, I could go berserk whenever so I was trying not to transform and accidently kill you. So sorry for spoiling that for you,” Brady growled.

“Bite me, shithead. Do any of what you just did again; I’m cutting your dick off and feeding it to the Titans,” said Selene, clearly not wanting to relent.

“You would like that wouldn’t you? But I think that’s an excuse to see what I have packing huh?” Brady said boastingly, trying to regain some of his composure. 

“You wish, brute. As if I am touching your shit-smelling body again. No girl or woman would want to touch you.”

“Take that back, bitch.”

“Make me, dipshit.”

They both noticed the Titan’s hand burst from behind the rooftop. Without thinking, Brady dashed over to Selene and grabbed her as the armored hand crashed down on the rooftop. Brady leaped to another roof and rolled to his feet, Selene still in his arms.

He let her go as they both turned to see the beast that was once Briggs emerge from the dust of the collapsed building. Titan Briggs took some time to search the ruins for the supposed bodies of Selene and Brady as the two watched.

“We can squabble later. Bertholdt is dealing with that one-eyed freak and I don’t think he can last for much longer. You’re a hunter. You know the Orks better than me. What are you thinking?” Brady said as Selene’s glare disappeared into a thinking face.

“A Titan’s nape is the weakness, right?” Brady nodded, not sure where this was going. “In your world specifically, the soldiers use swords to cut deep enough into it to kill it right? But what is stopping anything from damaging it?”

“The armor. That’s why one-eye has it built on there.”

“But there was something else. When we arrived and before you shot it, the Titan looked like it was going to eat Bertholdt. But it didn’t. It stopped. It acted as if it didn’t want to do it, like Bertholdt was someone important to that beast.” Selene went over to the edge of the roof to look at Titan Briggs. “These things almost nearly resemble humans. Do you think Titan’s could be… tainted humans?”

Brady had never thought of it like that. In the walls, no one really questioned why Titans looked like that. But now that he thought about it, it loosely made some sense. The way the Titans would look, especially their faces. It made them look… human.

“Could be. What does this have to do with anything?”

Selene pointed to the back of Titan Briggs’s neck. “That thing on the back of his nape looks more like a collar than armor. Wurrzag said that he had learned from someone that Orkimedes used collars to control them. Make them more bestial than they supposedly are. If we take that collar off-”

“You’re thinking that it would act on its own instincts. Like what exactly? I hate to break it to you, but these things don’t really know the difference between good and bad people. He might just try to eat us after.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s worth a shot. Besides, if we take the collar off, you can cut it with that axe of yours. So if all goes wrong, you just cut it down.” Selene then reloaded her rifle and cocked it.

“Great. So, I’m doing the dirty work,” Brady said as he whirred his chainaxe to life. “Good to know that we are on the same page.”

Selene smiled slyly. “Do it right and I won’t tell Bertholdt about the sentimental semantics you just performed for me.”

Brady just sighed in annoyance. “You are so dead.”

As Selene ran off, Brady stood as the enormous Titan rose to face him on the top of the roof. Brady took a deep breath and raised _Gorechild_ as he heard the Big Shootas prepping to fire.

 _Now_. Brady rushed forward as the Big Shootas fired at him. He dashed in between the middle of their range and slid underneath the swiping hand of the Titan. _If I have any chance of pulling off this insane plan, I need to take off those guns._ With that in mind, Brady stepped in front of the Titan’s face.

As predicted, Titan Briggs launched at him with his mouth wide open. With his chainaxe in hand, he sidestepped and slammed it right into the metal on Titan Briggs’s head. The Titan began scratching at his head and banging it, hoping to shake the boy off. Luckily, Brady’s experience in Black Crag had helped him in balance and steadiness.

With that, Brady launched himself at the left shoulder gun and grabbed on to it. It wasn’t easy with Titan Briggs flailing like a maniac but once he got a nice footing on the shoulder, he brought down his axe on the Big Shoota, cutting the barrels in two.

It was clear that Titan Briggs felt it as he brought his right arm down on his left shoulder but Brady quickly dodged out of the way. Tumbling down the Titan’s back, Brady plunged his axe into its back. It cut deep and remained steady with Brady dangling.

“Brady,” Selene said as Brady looked over to here on a roof, “catch.” Before he could ask, Selene threw something at him and Brady just managed to catch it with his free arm. His mind quickly registered it as a frag grenade… _with the pin already out_.

“Shit,” Brady said quickly as he tossed the frag at the other implanted Big Shoota. Whether it was fate or pure luck, the frag exploded ad completely scraped the gun.

_Great. Now to somehow get to the nape._

That was when he heard Selene scream. He averted his focus to her as he saw the giant klaw hand of Titan Briggs swipe at her and grab her. He could see her struggling in its grasp as it slowly brought her towards its mouth. _Dammit. Come on Brady. Help her NOW._

Hoping that it would work, Brady launched himself from his implanted axe and grabbed on to the collar around Briggs’s neck. He had no idea what he was doing or how he was going to get it off but he had to try something. He could hear Selene’s screams increasing.

An idea popped into his head. _Don’t do it,_ he heard himself say.

“Fuck it all.”

In what seemed like a blur, Brady hopped over the shoulder of Briggs and launched himself into the mouth of Titan Briggs. He could see that Selene was halfway through his mouth and was about to bite down. Quickly, Brady threw up his hands and caught the beast’s jaw mid bite.

It hurt like hell and he could feel the teeth digging into his hands but his physique and added strength from Grey Hair’s tests provided him with a strong enough force to stop the jaw; at least for now.

Selene screamed as Titan’s Briggs hand let go of her but she managed to wrap around Brady’s leg. “Quickly. Climb out of here. I’ll let it swallow me so I can find my chainaxe. It’s imbedded somewhere in its back so I can pull it in and chop a way out.”

“Are you crazy?” Selene looked up at Brady.

“Probably. If not, I can activate Kharn and he can sure as hell rip himself out of the Titan.” Selene still looked like she wasn’t moving. “Fine. You asked for this.” Without hesitation, Brady moved his foot that Selene was hanging onto and with a mighty kick, threw her out of the Titan’s mouth.

“BRADY!” she yelled as the jaw got lower, nearly crushing him.

“Sorry Cara,” Brady muttered to himself. “I might not make it back after all. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. I’m sorry I couldn’t apologize to you. But I’m sur-”

Without warning, Brady found himself flying out of Titan Brigg’s mouth as a massive explosion occurred where Brigg’s nape was.

……

Bertholdt panicked when he saw the large form of Titan Briggs fall to the ground after the explosion.

_What hit him? Are Brady and Selene okay?_

That’s when instinct took over as he dodged out of the way of Valmir’s swooping strike from the skies. Valmir growled as he quickly turned and charged after the Warrior. Having nowhere to run, Bertholdt readied his blade and met Valmir’s strike.

Bertholdt backed up as he continued to block and counter Valmir’s vicious strikes as he continued to lay into him. Bertholdt knew that Valmir was an expert at combat and swordsmanship. The only reason he managed to beat him in his previous brawls with him was the Bertholdt surprised him. The throwing of his knife and the reveal of his powers but Valmir at a disadvantage.

But this time, Valmir seemed to be prepared for everything and that wasn’t good for Bertholdt.

“A dog, huh? Well you’re going to learn that this dog’s bite is more dangerous than his bark.” Valmir lunged one his blades towards Bertholdt’s stomach, which he instantly parried. However, the other sword dug into Bertholdt’s shoulder. Bertholdt stepped back in pain while Valmir smacked him with the hilt of his previous sword.

Bertholdt fell on his back but managed to crawl backwards to avoid Valmir’s sweeps of his blades. Bertholdt didn’t want him to cut off any major part of his body. If that were to happen, he could accidently turn into the Colossal. Though his angel and demon surely wanted that, Bertholdt didn’t think that would be a good outcome. True, Valmir would die in the blast but so would Selene and Brady.

Besides, what was to stop the Terrans from shooting at him?

Bertholdt was starting to panic. Bertholdt found himself pressed against the wall as Valmir slowly prowled towards him with an evil smile on his face. “Too bad soldier boy was taken out. I can no longer detect any life coming from him. Shame. I really wanted him to eat you.” Valmir raised his blades as he licked his lips in a cruel fashion. “Guess it’s more fun for me.”

Bertholdt reached to the ground and started throwing rocks at the mercenary. What good was it going to do? Nothing. But it slightly slowed down Valmir giving Bertholdt an opportunity to come up with some plan.

But Bertholdt was too consumed with fear to come up with anything. It also made Valmir pissed.

With a grunt, Valmir brought his swords over his head to bring them down on Bertholdt. Instinct took over as he grabbed another rock and threw it right at Valmir’s face. Luckily, it hit him in the other eye. “Dammit kid. You had to hit the other FUCKING EYE?”

In sheer panic, Bertholdt shot his sword forward into the side of Valmir. Valmir yelled in rage as he swung his swords down on Bertholdt’s sword hand, cutting it clean off. Bertholdt also yelled in pain as he fell backwards to hold his stump.

“That’s it, kid. You’re dead meat.” Valmir grabbed Bertholdt’s shirt and shot his ODM cables out of a hole in the wall. As they were about to move, Bertholdt managed to grab his sword with his other hand.

Bertholdt found himself flying through the destroyed city as Valmir continued to grapple to other buildings. _Do something. I don’t think he is going to give you time to plan something._ Bertholdt agreed with his angel (or devil, sometimes he just couldn’t tell) and stabbed Valmir in the leg. Enraged, he dropped Bertholdt.

Bertholdt didn’t yell or scream as he hit the side of a building and crashed down in the middle of the street. He was in so much pain. Why the hell didn’t he just run? He knew if he stayed, he would very likely be killed.

He turned over on his back and looked at the smoke and fire sky. _Is this what it was like when I attacked the walls?_

Out of nowhere, Valmir flew through the air and plunged towards Bertholdt. Bertholdt didn’t have time to react as Valmir plunged his swords into Bertholdt’s shoulders. Bertholdt yelled in pain as Valmir cruelly snarled.

“I am going to kill you. I am going to chop you up piece by piece. That is what you deserve,” Valmir said angrily. “After I am done with you, I am going to find my way home. Once I do, I am going to find your friend the Armored Titan and cut him up as well.”

Bertholdt’s breathing hitched. He had just threatened Reiner, his comrade, his friend. Bertholdt felt himself getting angry. But he couldn’t move to act on it.

Valmir noticed this and smiled. He then leaned down close to his ear. “Maybe I will give that blonde girl a visit too. I saw the way you looked at her before we caught you. No doubt she is special too. Once I am done with you, maybe I will find her first,” he said as he evilly giggled.

That was when Bertholdt felt it. The rare anger and rage that he had kept bottled up surfaced. In an instant, Bertholdt headbutted the man, sending him backwards shocked. One of his swords was pulled out by Valmir unknowingly by him as his reaction was to put a hand to his head. This was Bertholdt’s chance.

He reached with his hand and grabbed Valmir’s real eye. Valmir looked shocked and surprised. But most of all, Bertholdt saw fear in the man. That was good.

 **AN EYE FOR AN EYE.** Valmir was even more scared when the monstrous voice that Bertholdt had been hearing came from his mouth. Then steam erupted from his hand as the intense heat burned into Valmir’s eye.

Valmir screamed in pain as Bertholdt felt the skin off Valmir bubbling and even his eye pop. But the feelings didn’t stop Bertholdt from keeping his hand there. With his other hand, Valmir punched Bertholdt in the face. Bertholdt dropped his hand as Valmir grabbed his swords.

Screaming in rage, Valmir raised his swords to bring it down on Bertholdt’s neck. Bertholdt should have been afraid. He should have been terrified. But he wasn’t. He was angry.

Just then, Bertholdt heard the sound of a gun firing. Out of nowhere, a bullet struck the hand of Valmir. Once again, he screamed in pain and this gave Bertholdt an opening. Quickly, Bertholdt grabbed the man’s shoulders and somersaulted. With a push from his legs, Valmir was sent flying.

But not before Bertholdt grabbed the belt of Valmir’s ODM Gear with his steaming hand and ripped the buckle off. Valmir’s belts around him began to fly off along with the scabbard holders and vertical maneuvering gear.

Bertholdt didn’t give Valmir the chance to recover as he lunged right at Valmir with his one steaming hand and stump. Bertholdt punched him in the face, stomach, shoulders, and chest as he released his pent-up anger within him.

“This is for the children you’ve snatched.” Bertholdt landed a punch in Valmir’s gut. “This is for what you did to the _Gretchins_.” A clean hit to the side of his head. “This is for threatening Annie.” Another hit to the face. “AND THIS IS FOR BRIGGS!” With that, Bertholdt’s steaming fist landed a huge hit to Valmir’s jaw.

Valmir crumbled to the ground, face first in front of Bertholdt. Bertholdt felt his anger fade away as he looked at the beaten and ravaged man in front of him. _Should I kill him? I should after all he has done. But can I?_ Bertholdt looked around the city. He knew that the casualties on both sides were high and that one more body wouldn’t be noticeable.

He heard footsteps approaching. He turned and was surprised to see Commissar Raine walk up next to him. _What is she doing here?_ Right behind here was here loyal regiment of Guardsmen.

“I came to assist you. I figured by defeating the monster, we would gain an advantage over them. Thankfully, I was able to strike it down with a cannon shot that I called in from the artillery.” She then looked over to the slowly rising Valmir. “This is the man who betrayed his race to the Orks?” Bertholdt nodded at her. “Good. By the Imperial Creed, I sentence this traitor to death.”

That was when the rumbling started again. Commissar Raine, Bertholdt, Valmir, and the Guardsmen looked to the direction where the rumbling was coming from. It was clear Valmir knew since he started laughing.

Chasing after the limping Selene and Brady was the steaming figure of Titan Briggs. 

“Ready your weapons.,” Commissar Raine ordered to the Guardsmen. But Bertholdt was sure that their weapons wouldn’t do any damage to Titan Briggs.

Selene landed next to Bertholdt with an unconscious Brady on top of her. Bertholdt kneeled down to see if they were alright but found he was more concerned with the now armorless Titan Briggs. Briggs roared as he spotted the group of people.

Bertholdt then stood up and walked up next to the still wounded Valmir. No fear in his actions or panic rising in the Warrior. He stood in front of the giant Titan that had been his idol and friend. The beast looked down at him when Bertholdt spoke.

“Briggs. I’m sorry for everything.”

He could hear the halted breath of the Commissar after he said his name. Titan Briggs leaned down and reached out his large hand to grab him. Bertholdt lowered his head, accepting death as a way of forgiveness to Briggs. At least he would die doing the right thing.

What happened next surprised everyone as Titan Briggs grabbed Valmir Guasser in his hand.

“WHAT? LET ME GO, BEAST! I CONTROL YOU! YOU OBEY ME!”

Bertholdt was still wondering what was happening when he noticed that underneath Brigg’s body was the destroyed collar that was around his neck. Clearly, Valmir saw it too as he struggled even more than before.

“This can’t be happening. This isn’t supposed to happen. I took the world by the reins. I control my destiny. I am the master of my fate. This is not how it is supposed to end. THIS ISN’T MY FATE!” He continued to scream as Titan Briggs opened his jaw as Bertholdt stood in disbelief.

“This can’t be the end of me. It can’t. I AM MY OWN MASTER! THIS CAN’T BE THE END! IT CA-”

Valmir didn’t finish his sentence as the mighty jaw of Briggs crunched his head and body with a mighty crunch.

……

Orks screamed and ran in terror as the artillery shells continued to hit the area Ghazghkull and Gorbad were fighting. But the two combatants didn’t really notice. Sure, it sent one or both of them flying but it didn’t stop them from going after each other.

Mighty blow after mighty blow did the two Black Ork descendants of Grimgor slice, cut, and punch each other with both not giving up. Even with the newly awakened powers of the Waaagh, Gorbad was still a powerful adversary.

“Give up Ghaz. I’m da stronga ‘un. I don’t care if ya entire body be metal or lightnin’, I ain’t losin’ to yuz.” With that, Gorbad leaped in the air and tackled Ghazghkull as another artillery shell hit their area. The two were sent flying but the two were still punching each other.

No sooner did they find themselves near the center of the destroyed gate. The Orks pouring in stopped and halted their advance to see the Warlord and Warboss fight. Many of them cheered as they were excited to see a big fight. Others awed at the power both had, especially Ghazghkull.

A distant roar was heard by Ghazghkull and quickly turned to see Krimson Killa flying towards them. However, instead of flying straight to Gorbad, the beast landed on top of a roof to watch them.

“KRIMSON KILLA! ASSIST ME!” The wyvern looked conflicted as if the beast wasn’t sure whether to answer his master’s call. “COME TO ME! NOW!” The Orks watching began to whisper and grumble at seeing the Warlord being denied by his beast. “KRIMSON KILLA!” With that, Krimson Killa backed up and sat with a sad growl.

“Even ya loyal kompanion dinks yuz be losin’ it Gorbad. Stop dis now. I’z don’t want to kill ya brudda. But you be leavin’ me no choice,” Ghazghkull pleaded to his desperate friend. “Just ztop.”

Gorbad then let out a terrifying bellow as he turned to face Ghazghkull. “NEVA! I BE DA WARLORD! I WILL BE DA ORK TITAN! I BE DA BIGGEST OF DEM ALL! NUFFIN’ YUZ ZAY WILL EVA’ CHANGE DAT!” With that final remark, Gorbad whirled Morglor as he readied to hurl it at Ghazghkull.

One final time, Ghazghkull sighed a sad sigh. “Den I am zorry brudda.”

Gorbad chucked Morglor at Ghazghkull. Acting fast, Ghazghkull reached out with his power klaw and grabbed the incoming axe. To Gorbad’s surprise, Ghazghkull pulled the chain with extreme power as he found himself flying towards Ghazghkull.

In a single motion, when Gorbad found himself close to Ghazghkull, the former Warboss swung Gitsnik down on Gorbad’s arm that Morglor’s chains were attached to. In a powerful swing, Gorbad’s arm was cut clean off.

Gorbad howled in pain as he landed on the ground, holding his shoulder where his arm was once attached. The watching Orks gasped and cheered when Gorbad’s arm hit the ground. Not wasting another moment, Ghazghkull grabbed the wounded Gorbad’s leg and flipped him over his head, slamming him on his back.

Gorbad was not giving up. Jumping to his feet, he sluggishly swung his only arm at Ghazghkull. Ghazghkull immediately dropped Gitsnik and caught it with his flesh hand. Concentrating, Ghazghkull closed his eyes and no sooner did Waaagh lightning appear on Gorbad’s arm.

Gorbad screamed when his arm exploded from the lightning.

Staggering back in pain and anger, Gorbad roared as he looked at Ghazghkull. Once again, he charged right at him only to be met by the powerful metal fist of Ghazghkull. Gorbad was sent flying into the graffitied statue of the Terrans that the Orks decorated in victory. With that blow, the statue came down right on Gorbad.

Snikrot and his kommandoes arrived just as the blow connected along with a wounded Yarrick. All, even Yarrick, was surprised by the power Ghazghkull had obtained and used.

The Ork of Metal and Honor walked towards the ruined statue where a near dead Gorbad lay. All the Orks hushed each other to see what would happen next. As Gorbad attempted to get up, Ghazghkull kneeled closer to his dying friend.

“I… I guezz *cough cough* dat yuz… are da ztrongest afta’ *cough* all.”

Ghazghkull didn’t say anything as he looked upon the Ork that he grew up with. The Ork he trusted the most. The Ork he battled many foes with. The Ork who Ghazghkull treasured as a friend.

Now, he was going to be the Ork that Ghazghkull had to kill.

“I’m zorry Gorbad. If only it didn’t kome to dis.” Ghazghkull tightened his grip on Gitsnik. “I don’t wantz to kill ya.”

“I’m zorry as well Ghaz,” Gorbad said as he continued cough up blood. “If only I’z *cough* lizzened to ya, we could ‘ave conquered da world togetha’.” Gorbad then looked to the sky. Ghazghkull also looked up to see a parting in the black smokey sky. “Dis be ma time, Ghaz.”

“I can ztill ‘elp ya.”

“No. Afta’ all I’z dun, dere is no gettin’ ma honor back. Da only honor I’z ‘ave now is to die fightin’, which I zertainly did.” He motioned to Ghazghkull’s power klaw which still had his beloved weapon, Morglor the Mangler, in it. Sadly, Ghazghkull placed the weapon on his chest. “Do yuz dink I’z will be accepted into da fields of eternal battle? Wiff Grimgor? Wiff da One Who Creates?”

Ghazghkull could hear the desperation in his friend’s voice. “I’z know yuz will. Yuz be a mighty Ork. Regardless of all yuz done, ya fought till da end. Dat’z all da One Who Creates lookz for.” Gorbad sighed happily as he felt his burden lift off of his bloody shoulders.

“Promize me yuz will make Orkimedes pay for all he ‘az done. Promize me yuz will be betta’ den me. Promize me to make Grimgor proud,” Gorbad said as Ghazghkull stood up and readied Gitsnik for the final blow.

“Promise me yuz will die fightin’ like the Ork yuz are.”

“I promise, mountain-brudda.”

That was when Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, former Warboss, swung his axe down to end the life of Gorbad Ironclaw; Warlord of the Orks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gorbad Ironclaw:  
> Perhaps one of the greatest Black Ork warriors to ever live, Gorbad Ironclaw was one of the few Black Orks that emerged from the volcano within the Dark Lands. Along with Ghazghkull and a few others, these Orks went on to become powerful warriors that took on the greatest of monsters and foes. After becoming a Kaptin of the Immortulz, he went out to tame Krimson Killa and formed his own powerful klan; the Ironclaws. He quickly rose to fame, especially after he stood by Grimgor and Ghazghkull in Da Last Big Fight. After Grimgor disappeared, Gorbad became warlord and was fixated on conquering the Terrans and the world in a misguided dream to impress the One Who Creates. After many battles and sieges, Gorbad was slain by Ghazghkull in the Last Battle of Armageddon but his legacy lives on as Ghazghkull ordered a statue of him to be placed in the Halls of Da Biggest.
> 
> Gitsnik:  
> The legendary weapon known as Gitsnik is a weapon that many of the Goffs hope to have their hands on one day though they know they might never. Wielded only by the chief of the Goffs, Gitsnik is a weapon many believe to be made from the 'heart' of Big 'Un Mountain and concentrated Waaagh energy, allowing the wielder to access the Waaagh in a way no other Ork can; even Weirdboys. Gitsnik has been passed down through many generations of Ork and has taken the heads of many enemies of Ullanor. Some say that to wield Gitsnik is to be favored by the God Titan himself; which many Orks believe why many Goffs have taken the mantle of the Ork Titan.


	19. To Keep A Promise

Bertholdt continued to stare at Titan Briggs from a good few yards away as Titan Briggs was leaned against a destroyed building. Bertholdt was still shocked by what had just happened a half an hour ago. Titan Briggs was coming towards them. He was sure that he was going eat Bertholdt and Bertholdt gladly gave himself up. But instead of going for the Warrior who would have changed him back into human form, Briggs went for Valmir and ate him without a second’s hesitation.

It wasn’t that Bertholdt wasn’t happy that the devil was shown no mercy, but he still couldn’t figure out how and why Briggs chose who to eat? Titans wouldn’t give any second thought on who to eat and they would always go for whoever was closer.

True, there have been cases where some Titans acted strangely. Some were even considered abnormal by observers. But this was different. Because after Valmir was devoured, Briggs backed himself away from everyone and leaned against the wall. He hadn’t moved since then.

 _Why did he do it? He deserves to return to human form after all he has been through. He has a wife, a home, and a child. Why didn’t he eat me?_ For the first time, he was actually wanting his angel or devil to answer. It most likely wouldn’t have helped but it would at least give him something to work with.

What Briggs did as a Titan went against everything Marley taught him about the beasts in the Warrior Program.

_Is he denying himself? Why doesn’t he just come over here and eat me? Why doesn’t he save himself?_

A gloved hand shocked Bertholdt out of his thoughts as he turned to see Severina next to him. Bertholdt honestly wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she was here. Considering that this was her husband in front of them.

“How are they?” Bertholdt asked.

“The girl is a little shaken up. The boy is awake now and is surprisingly recovering well. I don’t really know anyone who could be after almost being eaten alive and being blasted by a tank. Don’t worry. My men are keeping an eye on him.” Bertholdt sighed in relief knowing that his friend was okay. “Though I’m not sure my men are needed. The girl seems very protective of him.”

Bertholdt slightly smiled. He made a mental note not to mock Selene about that.

Bertholdt then noticed that Severina’s eyes never left the Titan. Bertholdt turned back to see Titan Briggs staring at her. Bertholdt was still trying to figure out whether he should tell her about Brigg’s fate. On one hand, she deserved to know but on the other, if she knew that this was Bertholdt’s fault, he would get the sword for sure. But the way Briggs was staring at her and the fact that Brigg’s head looked like his human one-

“That’s my husband. Isn’t it?”

Bertholdt’s heart jumped into his throat as he slowly looked at the Commissar. It also added more fear to him as she was looking right at him. Not with her normal soldier face, but with the face of sad yet hopeful wife.

Bertholdt knew he couldn’t lie to her. She deserved the truth even if it meant she hated him and wanted him dead. It wasn’t right for him to keep it to himself.

Bertholdt forced himself to not look down and keep his eyes on her. He slowly nodded as sadness only grew on the Commissar’s face. “Yes,” he started quietly, “that is Marcellus Briggs.”

Both of them didn’t say a word after that. All they did was look at the Titan that was Briggs looking at them with sad eyes. Severina took a few steps closer towards her husband, not scared or faltering under fear. Bertholdt gulped before following her closer to him.

“Marcel…” was all Severina said as she began to tear up.

“H-h-he is like this because of……because of me.” Without looking, Bertholdt could tell that she was looking at him as he started getting closer to Briggs. “When the Orks captured us, th-they wanted me to do something for them.”

He looked back to Severina who looked even more broken by sadness and grief. She probably didn’t need to hear Bertholdt’s confession but Bertholdt was sick of holding it in. Seeing Severina, the mother of Briggs’s child, like this broke Bertholdt’s heart. Briggs was a good man to the very end, and she deserved to know that.

Grim confidence grew within him as he went forward with his confession. “I promised him before that I would try to escape and warn you of the coming attack on Armageddon. But I didn’t do it at first. I tried to escape and return to my home without any second thoughts about him. I was then caught by the Orks and that man he just killed. When I wouldn’t do what the Orks wanted, they threatened Briggs. If I didn’t do what they wanted, they would transform him into what he is now.” Bertholdt found that his voice got shakier and softer as he got closer to the end. “I-I-I w… I was too scared to do it. They transformed him into a Titan because of me and after all of that…… I ended up doing what they wanted.”

Immediately, he walked towards Titan Briggs. The Titan’s eyes followed the boy Warrior as he made his way to him. “Your husband is like this because of my selfishness. Your child’s father is basically dead because of my cowardice. HE IS LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF ME!” That last sentence came out of nowhere but Bertholdt wasn’t interested in that. “But I can save him now.”

Bertholdt found himself in between the legs of Titan Briggs and looked straight up at him. “I can save him. All he has to do is eat me. I have a special power in me that the Orks wanted to exploit. If he consumes me, he will get that power and it will turn him back into a human again. He’ll be a better Warrior than I could ever be.”

Severina held her breath as Titan Briggs lifted his hand and reached out to grab Bertholdt. Bertholdt didn’t hear her move as he stuck his arms out, awaiting the monstrous hand to place him in the jaws of the Titan. “He’ll be the hero that you and the Imperium can look up to. The hero I could not.” Briggs’s hand was close to Bertholdt’s body.

“It is what I deserve. At least now, I can pay for my sins.” Bertholdt closed his eyes, again accepting death with open arms.

**“NO.”**

Bertholdt opened his eyes in shock as he looked at Titan Briggs. The Titan looked at its hand as Bertholdt saw the massive hand shaking and trembling. It was as if Briggs was fighting the Titan and keeping himself from grabbing him. “What?” Bertholdt said as he was witnessing this.

**“NO.”**

_He…… talked?_ With that, Briggs forcefully placed his hand at his side, denying the Titan from eating Bertholdt. Bertholdt was even more shocked at this. Yet again, Bertholdt was dumbstruck at Briggs’s actions. He had a way out. Sure, it was 13 years but living in a world like this, that would be heaven for him.

“Why? Why aren’t you eating me?” Briggs began to punch Briggs. “You can escape this fate. You can come home. You can see Marneus again. You can make up with your wife. You can be with your family again. All you have to do is put me out of my misery. End this piece of shit child whose dad is sick, has an uncaring mother, treated like a war dog, and is worthless as a person.” Tears flew from Bertholdt’s eye as he began shouting in anger and sadness. “WHY WOULDN’T YOU LET ME DIE?”

He then felt the gloved hand of Commissar Raine grab one of his hands. In a blur, Bertholdt found himself in the arms of Severina as she hugged him tight. Bertholdt was absolutely shocked by this but found that he easily gave in and hugged her back. Bertholdt continued to cry into Severina’s shoulder. He didn’t know what had come over him, but it hit him hard.

He knew deep down that suicidal thoughts had taken him to the brink. In his head, he was finally going to repay Briggs for all that had happened to him, especially since most of it was all Bertholdt’s doing. He would do one good thing before kissing his horrible life goodbye. But Briggs denying him made him angry. He didn’t want this life, this Titan, this burden.

“He’s not going to do it.” Severina broke the hug as she walked over and placed her hand on Brigg’s giant twitching hand. “I know you want to save him. But my husband does not want to be saved if it means taking the life of someone else. Especially a child.” Briggs followed her with his eyes, and he leaned down a little to look at his wife. Bertholdt was wiping his eyes but he swore that there was a tear brimming in the eyes of the Titan. “That’s always been the man he was. The man I feel in love with.”

**“SEV… ER… INA”**

More tears fell from the Commissar’s face as witnessed the opening of Briggs’s titanic hand. Without fear, Severina stepped onto the hand. Bertholdt started to make his way over to warn her but Briggs placed Severina on his shoulder. Briggs’s shaking took over his entire body, the Titan aching within him to eat Severina. It was amazing to see Briggs have the mental control over his Titan form. No one could ever control a Pure Titan like he was now. But he could tell Briggs was beginning to lose the battle.

Bertholdt kept quiet as Severina carefully made her way towards the nape. Bertholdt made his way around to see what was happening. Severina got close to the nape and kissed it with a tearful face of sadness and defeat.

“I’m sorry I didn’t let you see our son one last time. I was angry and I shouldn’t have been. I should have let you in. I should have listened to you.” She continued to speak to the nape. “I am the one who did this to you. I was selfish and scared. If we worked together to come up with a plan instead of you going in blind, you wouldn’t be like this. I am so sorry, Marcel.”

Bertholdt believed that this was the saddest thing he had ever seen. He had only read about sad things like these in books and in stories told to him. Books and stories could never come close to the real thing. He started sniffing as he heard the footsteps of the 11th Antari Rifles make their way towards him.

At first, he thought the men and women of the regiment would fire upon the Titan. But instead, in the middle of the battleground that was their home, they removed their helmets and placed them on their hearts. Bertholdt could see some tearing up as well while others just looked to the ground.

Bertholdt had never seen anything like this before. Not by the Marleyans or Eldians in Marley.

Bertholdt turned his attention back to Severina and Briggs. “You were the best man I could have ever asked for. You protected me, advised me, helped me, and loved me. Even when I couldn’t love myself. There will never be another man like you.” She gave one last kiss on the nape of the Titan. “I love you Marcellus Briggs. To the day I die, I will love you. Forever and always.”

That was when Bertholdt saw the tears fall from Titan Briggs’s face. It was a sad sight indeed. This would be a day that Bertholdt would never forget. His nightmares that he had paled in comparison to this. Bertholdt knew that he could never forget this and it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Severina stood up at the nape and unsheathed her sword. She was trembling when she slowly began to lift it in a swiping position. Bertholdt held his breath as _Penance_ was halted and ready to cut the nape. Briggs turned his head slightly to where one eye was looking at her.

**“I…… LOVE… YOU.”**

No one heard the slash across the nape of Titan Briggs. The now lifeless body of Briggs leaned over until his head collapsed on the ground. Bertholdt looked to see if there was any movement from Briggs but not a muscle moved as his body began to steam and deteriorate.

Severina hopped off the steaming corpse and went to Bertholdt. Placing a hand softly on his shoulder to turn him away, Bertholdt looked at Severina as she turned to look at the hero and great man that was her husband. “I will tell Marneus you loved him,” she said softly.

After that, everyone walked away from the decomposing body of Briggs. Bertholdt took one last look while he walked away. _I hope you have found your peace, Briggs._

“Commissar,” Bertholdt turned as a messenger ran towards her. “We have a message from Yarrick.” All eyes turned to her and then back to the messenger who looked scared and frightened. Severina shook the tears from her face as she motioned the messenger to continue. “Yarrick says the Orks want to speak with you. The Warlord wants to discuss terms.”

“What exactly does Gorbad want?” Severina said.

“Apologies Commissar but Gorbad Ironclaw has been reported to be deceased.” Murmuring and whispering consumed the regiment as confusion filled their minds.

Bertholdt was the one to ask. “Then who is summoning her? One of Gorbad’s nobs?”

“No. This came from their new Warlord. The Commissar has been summoned by Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.”

……

Orkimedes continued to sit in his electric throne as he observed what was going on before him. It was strange. When the siege first started, cannon fire, screams, and death filled the city. It was so loud that he heard the sounds from his position on Crookback Mountain. It was glorifying that his plan was close to completion.

He was delighted when he witnessed Gorbad flying in the front and attacking head on. He was sad when he wasn’t taken out immediately by the guns, but he believed that he would die trying to fulfill his mad quest of obtaining the Ork Titan. He would then take the power for himself and control the Waaagh. Then he would truly be victorious.

However, things have been strange for the last couple of hours. The sounds of war had died down and the communication between the Orks inside the city and outside the walls was silent. Even stranger, Dead-Eye had stopped feeding him coordinates of where to strike in the city and the roars of his Titan had halted. True, he could still shoot his lightning but without a proper coordinator to point him to his target, he’d be firing blind.

Of course, he wouldn’t mind doing that, but he did not want to waste his precious energy he worked so hard to get.

He couldn’t see what was happening in the city. He was receiving no word from Snikrot, whom he paid to kill Yarrick or at least take him out of the picture. But first and foremost, he paid him to feed him intelligence on what was going on in there. But like everything else, there was nothing from him.

 _Zome’ding must ‘ave gone wrong._ Orkimedes didn’t like that idea popping into his head. On the eve of his ascension to Warlord and ruler of the world, things could not be going wrong now. It couldn’t. He planned for everything and even after that, he had contingencies for those plans as well.

But he had no idea what was going on, which was keeping him from making a decision.

He was still trying to figure out what the green lightning was. He knew it was energy from the Waaagh but he didn’t know who summoned it. No Weirdboy, rare as they were, was not in this battle and Wurrzag was reportedly back at Iron Rock. _Zo who summoned it? And iz it dangerous?_

To this point, Orkimedes was only getting angry. He calmed himself down for if he lost himself to silly emotions like the rest of his incompetent race, he would definitely lose control.

He supposed it was time to send in reinforcements. He blinked his cybernetic eye and began to send messages to the chiefs of the Bad Moonz, Blood Axes, and the Evil Sunz. No sooner did the huge forces of Orks within the warcamp begin to move at his order. Why wouldn’t they? He did bribe them into swearing loyalty to him. It was easy when they lost faith in their raving mad Warlord.

Orkimedes relaxed in his chair and continued to watch the game of war unfold in front of him. Patience was his weapon and since Orkimedes had waited many long years to get to this point, Orkimedes didn’t mind waiting a little longer.

For he knew his destiny was close.

……

The 11th Antari Rifles continued their careful march towards the ruins of Field Command. They were hesitant when they made their way into captured territory but when they arrived, the Orks parted for them and warily watched them. Bertholdt could tell that the Orks were holding back their instincts to attack. He was just lucky that he was inside the Chimera-class transport and not outside.

Bertholdt didn’t how to feel. He couldn’t believe that Ghazghkull was alive. His friend survived his duel with Gorbad and somehow managed to make it to Armageddon. Even better, he even defeated Gorbad here. He knew he should have felt excitement, but he was uncertain as well.

It certainly wasn’t the first time when hope turned out to be a cruel joke for Bertholdt.

He heard the grunting of Brady as he continued to mess with Valmir’s scrappy ODM Gear. Before they left, Bertholdt checked on Brady and Selene and found that they were both fine. Brady was a little dazed and woozy but being the stubborn person he was, he shook off the fatigue with ease.

“Why are you still messing with that thing? It’s broken. I should know because I’m the one who broke it,” Bertholdt said as Brady placed a gas filter on one of the scabbards. He didn’t immediately answer as he placed the scabbard back onto the belts.

“You never know. It could come in handy.”

Selene just looked at him and Bertholdt with confusion. “I’m still not sure what this thing is. Is this thing supposed to make you fly?” Bertholdt raised an eyebrow in confusion but then he remembered that not everyone here came from his world. Some were born in Hellworld.

“Where Brady and… I came from, the soldiers wore these to fight the Titans. This would help them evade them and easily get to their napes. Right Brady?” He turned it over to Brady, hoping that he would not say something completely wrong about them.

“He’s essentially right,” Brady stated as he placed the blade hilts into the scabbards, “I can’t tell if this is right or not. I never trust Orks with making something because it usually turns out that only they can use it.” After a few more minutes of grunting and cussing, he finally put the last piece on and placed a new belt buckle (one that he scavenged off of a Guardsman, much to Bertholdt’s dismay) in the area that Bertholdt ripped off.

“Perfect. Good as new. I think,” he said as he held it up in front of both of them. The wacky Ork version of the ODM looked less than appealing. “You can clap now. You know how hard this was?”

“I’m not going to clap. That thing looks terrible. Though I guess terrible would look good on you,” Selene said. Bertholdt couldn’t help but laugh at the joke.

Brady just rolled his eyes. “You’re just jealous. It gives my figure more ferocity.” To push his point, Brady flexed in a goofy pose. That got the trio laughing. Bertholdt was sure that the Guardsman were wondering how they could be laughing at a time like this.

“Paint yourself green and you’d be a proper Ork,” giggled Selene as she calmed down a little.

Brady playfully scoffed at the remark. “Why? I’d feel like you’d only hate me more if I did that. I’d look terrible and disgusting.”

Selene shrugged as Bertholdt continued to laugh as he imagined Brady in the body of an Ork. “On the contrary, you’d be the handsomest Ork of them all,” Bertholdt heard Selene say under her breath.

“What?” Brady said.

“On the contrary, you’d be the dumbest Ork of them all.” To that, Brady just rolled his eyes and leaned back on his chair. Clearly he didn’t see what Bertholdt saw as Bertholdt could see the slight red on Selene’s face. Bertholdt smiled as he enjoyed what was unfolding in front of him.

The transport then stopped. All three silenced themselves as they worriedly looked at each other. The back of the transport opened up, as a Guardsman entered and motioned them to come outside. Hesitantly, Bertholdt got up and followed the soldier and was closely followed by Selene and Brady.

Bertholdt looked around at the destroyed buildings of Field Command. Dead bodies, both Ork and Terran, littered the field as fire consumed the buildings. Burning vehicles also were silent as they walked past the steaming bodies of Titans. Bertholdt knew this was where the intensity of the siege took place.

As Commissar Raine and the 11th Antari Rifles continued their way towards the main building, the Orks whispered and grunted at them as they parted like the sea. A huge sea of green and crimson. Many of the Guardsmen were starting to freak out but the steeled figure of Severina kept them in check. If one of the Guardsmen fired at an Ork, there would be no chance of escape and they would be torn apart.

After what seemed like hours, Bertholdt and the Terrans walked up the stairs of Field Command and stopped in front of the entrance. Bertholdt recognized the banners of the Goffs and Ironclaw tribes as many nobs stood at the sides. Bertholdt looked towards the entrance to see a cohort of Black Orks (that Bertholdt recognized as the Immortulz) standing guard. A bark from the kaptin stopped the 11th Antari Rifles immediately as the Black Orks readied their battleaxes and the surrounding Orks grabbed their weapons. The Guardsmen readied their weapons as well but under the orders of Severina, the soldiers did not fire.

Bertholdt stood next to Severina as his comrades fell behind them. Brady gripped his axe while Selene had her rifle at the ready, though she was trembling. Brady reached over and placed his free hand on Selene’s shoulder. She looked at the berserker and then to Bertholdt, who nodded at her. She took a deep breath as she convinced herself to only look forward.

That was when a group of dark-skinned Orks painted black and armed with ‘fancy’ Ork weapons emerged from the building. “Snikrot,” Severina said as the Ork legend and his kommandoes made their way towards the humans. The Guardsmen were shocked when they saw a wounded Yarrick being carried with them.

“Steady. Don’t show fear.” The command from Severina worked as the Guardsmen returned to their defensive mindsets.

A familiar roar was heard as the soldiers of Armageddon looked in the air. The monstrous beast Bertholdt knew to be Krimson Killa sailed over the regiment as the Orks began to cheer and chant. The beast circled the entrance, fear beginning to creep back into the soldiers, including Bertholdt. Bertholdt knew only one Ork could ride the Wyvern.

 _Gorbad. This is a trap._ The urge to transform made its way into his brain but he shoved down his instincts.

Krimson Killa landed in the middle of the plaza in front of the entrance. The beast let out a roar, which probably served as a warning, which easily worked on the men and women of Armageddon.

Then the Ork that was the Warlord jumped off the Wyvern as he slammed his feet on the ground, cracking the concrete underneath. At first, Bertholdt didn’t recognize him. The Ork was mostly mechanical as his lower body and his right side. The huge power klaw flexed its sharp talons as the left tattooed arm glowed with electricity that traveled down the Warlord’s battleaxe. The cybernetics even traveled up the side of his neck all the way to his right eye, which was replaced with two red eyes.

The Warlord made his way towards the group as the Kommandoes and a small group of Nobs and Black Orks made their way towards them. Bertholdt still looked at the Warlord, sensing some familiarity. This wasn’t Gorbad but Bertholdt began to recognize some of the tattoos on the green chest of the Ork. He then looked closer at the face of the Warlord when he got closer.

When he stood a few feet from the Commissar did he ask a question that comprised of only one word.

“Bert’oldt?”

Without thinking, Bertholdt sprinted in happiness towards his friend. The Orks reacted by raising their weapons but were immediately confused as their new Warlord walked towards the humie. No one said anything as the two friends shared a hug in the middle of the plaza.

Bertholdt felt weird with everyone staring at him and Ghazghkull. The hug was also weird due to the fact that he was hugging metal. After a quick hug, they separated as they both took each other in.

“How are you alive?” Bertholdt asked as he looked over Ghazghkull’s body. “I thought you said you would die before letting anyone put cybernetics on you?”

Ghazghkull snorted as he rolled his mechanical shoulder. “Well, I’z figured I get wiff da timez. In order to zave da Orks, Wurrzag figured I ‘ave to ‘evolve’ in order to do dat.” Ghazghkull took the time to look at himself and shake his metal parts. “I’z guess dis be wat Wurrzag meant by Metal and Honor.”

“I’ll say. How is he? Is he here?” Bertholdt didn’t like it when Ghazghkull’s real eye looked down to his feet.

“Wurrzag zacrificed his life and Waaagh to zap life back into me. It be because of ‘im dat I be ‘ere now.” Bertholdt then hung his head at the revelation. Yet another friend of Bertholdt’s that had died. But this wasn’t like any of the other deaths. Wurrzag sacrificed himself to save his friend because he had faith in Ghazghkull. For some reason, Bertholdt felt pride knowing Wurrzag.

“We’z will catch up lata’. For now, we ‘ave to zave Armageddon.” With confidence and duty in his voice, Ghazghkull made his way towards Severina as Bertholdt followed.

The Guardsmen raised their weapons, but the Commissar stood her ground as the Warlord stopped in front of her. Compared to Ghazghkull, Severina looked like she could be easily squashed by the Ork. But Bertholdt knew Severina and how ferocious she was on the attack.

Next to Ghazghkull, Snikrot and the kommandoes came to his side along with the wounded Yarrick. Ghazghkull nodded to Snikrot as he commanded his Orks to return Yarrick to the humans. Yarrick was placed on the ground and a field medic rushed over to inspect him.

“I’m fine,” he said as he waved the medic away, “I can stand on my own. I am not going to be rushed away as my city is under threat.” With that, he hobbled to his feet as he turned to face Ghazghkull and Snikrot.

“I am glad you are alive, Lord Commissar.” Yarrick nodded to his second. “Now to this truce. Tell us what is going on.”

Ghazghkull explained everything that has happened. He explained Gorbad’s misplaced vengeance against humanity after Da Last Big Fight, the secret takeover of Orkimedes, their business with slavery and their weaponization of the Titans. Yarrick and Severina asked questions throughout his story and Ghazghkull easily answered them.

“I know dis be wrong and I know our klanz ‘ave warred wiff each otha’ for genera’shunz. But if we’z don’t ‘elp each otha’, Orkimedes will take da Orks and torch ya Imperium. He will turn ya into Titanz or Titan chow,” Yarrick and Severina looked at each other, trying to see whether they should trust Ghazghkull and the Orks.

“How do I know this isn’t a lie?” Yarrick stated. “We have been at each other’s throats for a long time Ghazghkull. I am still skeptical about all of this. Even if you sent this boy to warn me, how do I know there isn’t an ulterior motive you are getting at?”

“I’z just want to save ma kin and all Orks. Wat Orkimedes’z planz dreathenz Ullanor and da world,” Ghazghkull spoke dutifully. “I’z can’t let dat ‘appen. Not afta’ every’ding dat ‘az ‘appened.”

“It’s the truth.” Every Ork and Terran looked to Bertholdt. He was telling himself to keep his mouth shut but if this pact didn’t work, everything Briggs and Wurrzag died for would go down in flames. “I know you don’t trust him. But normally, this wouldn’t even be happening. They wouldn’t reach out to talk to you, they would just kill you without any thought. That’s tradition for them.” He then turned to Ghazghkull. “Ghazghkull used to be that Ork, but he is not anymore.”

“Humans and Orks have been fighting for years. For what? To see who is stronger? Conquest? Glory? What has it gotten you? Because all I see are dead bodies and the burning cities.” Bertholdt wasn’t sure why but all of this reminded him of the hatred between Eldians and Marleyans. Sure it wasn’t the same thing, but it was definitely close to being closely relatable. “People like Orkimedes and Valmir thrive on wars like this. They want you to destroy yourselves because of your hatred for one another. Sure, both have reasons to want to kill each other. But what good does endless fighting do for you?”

No one said a word as all looked at the 12-year-old boy who was talking loud enough for all to hear. Humans and Orks began to look at each other with questioning looks. Bertholdt didn’t know how or why, but he was on a roll. Confidence grew as he looked to Ghazghkull.

“You said yourself that when Grimgor climbed up the mountain to face the Wyvern, he said that he was doing it to protect his klan. Sure he wanted revenge for losing his eye, but with his klan in his heart, he conquered his fear. He also said that strength was not what drove an Ork but instead it was passion.” Bertholdt then turned to face Yarrick and Severina. “Passion is what drove this Ork, who I would call my friend any day, to abandon his position as Warboss and chief to help me escape so I could warn you. Passion is what brought him here to defeat Gorbad. Passion is what is driving him to ask his enemies for help in saving his people.”

He stepped closer to Severina. “This war has to stop. You and Yarrick know that this has to end. And the only way to do that is to work together to stop the maniac who orchestrated all of this,” Bertholdt pointed to the ruined wall. He then turned to Severina and took a deep breath. “There have been enough children who have lost their fathers…… and mothers.”

Yarrick looked towards his second as Severina held her breath. Severina balled his hand into a fist as a tear slowly streaked down her cheek. Yarrick then looked back to the Ork that was his rival. It was true. They had fought for so long with seemingly no end in sight. Many men, women and Orks have fallen due to their violent hatred and wars with one another. Yarrick felt guilty when he thought to himself that he used this war to get revenge on the Orks for the loss of his family and home.

The boy was right. It had to end.

“Okay Ghazghkull.” The Guardsmen looked in confusion and shock as Yarrick painfully stepped forward. “In order for our people to survive this day, we have to cast aside what we think of each other. You proved that you can be trusted.” Yarrick reached out with his hand. “Against all I have been taught about the world and the Xenos, I put my trust with you today. As you have with me by sending me this boy.”

Ghazghkull looked at Yarrick’s hand. The Orks turned to one another as they wondered what their leader would do. To their surprise, Ghazghkull placed Gitsnik in the hands of Snikrot and shook Yarrick’s hand. “Togetha’ we fight.”

Both commanders shouted orders and both sides lowered their weapons. The tension lessened but not by much. But it was a good start.

Bertholdt was happy and shocked that he managed to convince Yarrick to ally with Ghazghkull. He was then joined by Brady and Selene, who still seemed very blown away about what just happened.

“I don’t know how you did it, but wow.” Brady then slammed his hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder, slightly hurting Bertholdt. “You really are something noodleneck. It takes a certain confidence to somehow manage to convince two longtime warring factions to work together.”

“Thanks,” Bertholdt said as he rubbed his shoulder.

“I don’t trust the Orks still,” started Selene as both boys looked towards her, “but after what you said about Ghazghkull and how much you trust him, I guess that not every Ork is like Orkimedes.” Bertholdt couldn’t help but smile at the compliment.

“BOSS!” Everyone looked to see an Ork rush towards Ghazghkull through the thick crowd of Orks. He fell to his hands and knees as he fought to regain his breath. Ghazghkull gave him a minute and then abruptly snorted, which obviously was a cue for the Ork to talk. “Da otha’ Big Klanz are mobilizin’ and on deir way ‘ere. Dey ‘ave a lot more dakka (Orkish for firepower) komin’. More den we ‘ad.”

Ghazghkull growled. “Orkimedes. He paid off da Big Klanz. Dis waz his insurance in caze some’ding went wrong.”

Severina moved closer to Yarrick and Ghazghkull. “If they have more firepower than the first attack, we will not last. Not even with Ghazghkull’s Orks. They’ll have more boys, mechs, tanks, and Titans. We can put up a good defense, but we won’t last.”

Snikrot then came up to the group. “Da klanz are followin’ Orkimedes cuz dey believe he is Warlord now. If we take ‘im out of da picture, dey will stop da attack and lizzen to Ghazghkull. Howeva’, Orkimedes zet up zhop on da top of Krookback Mountain. No doubt he ‘az his Mekboyz in da field zo dey can coordinate wiff ‘im to ztart up da lightnin’ again once dey in da city.”

“You have the Wyvern,” Yarrick said, motioning towards Krimson Killa. “You can easily fly up there and kill him. You can terminate him in seconds.”

Snikrot shook his head. “Orkimedes was prepared for Gorbad komin’ for ‘im. Krimson Killa isn’t exactly sneaky-like. When Orkimedes zees da Wyvern, he will ‘ave every gun fire at ‘im; ‘imzelf includin’.”

“And we have nothing else that could get up there that could surprise him. Even if we could get our air forces operational, they’d never make it to Orkimedes,” said Severina. “Our only hope is to distract him long enough for someone to even come close to reaching him.”

“Um…” All looked towards Bertholdt as he made his way to the circle with Selene and Brady. “I might have a plan. It’s very risky and might not work… but it is probably the best option we have.”

……

_“My scout-runners have told me-me that the man-things and Ork-things within the walls have made claw pact to stop Orkimedes.”_

_“Interesting.”_

_“Should we-we intervene? I don’t see the purpose behind it.”_

_“You are right, my furry friend. We have all we need from the mad Ork. We win either way. If our partner wins, we take what we are owed. If he loses, our tracks are covered, and we still take what we need.”_

_“I hope man-things kill-slay him. I want that boasting Ork-Thing to die-die.”_

_“What about the boy with the Colossal Titan? Any word on him?”_

_“Yes-yes. But not much. Scout-runners say that small Man-Thing told them plan-scheme to win battle.”_

_“Intriguing.”_

_“What do now-now?”_

_“Let us watch. We have nothing to lose. It seems the stage is set for one last act of this show. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this dramatic finish.”_

……

“I’m crazy. That’s it. I have lost my mind.”

Bertholdt looked over the edge of the wall of Armageddon as he witnessed the advancement of the Ork Waaagh. A huge sea of green was making its way towards the wall’s breach along with hordes of tanks and Deff Dreads followed by the lumbering Titans.

“I wouldn’t say you are crazy,” Brady said as Bertholdt turned to face him and Selene, “I would say mad, delusional, insane. You know what,” Brady snapped his fingers, “unhinged is the word.”

“Thanks. You really know how to help,” Bertholdt said sarcastically.

Brady, the ‘greatest friend in the world’, gave him a snide thumbs up with a smile. Bertholdt couldn’t help but give him a half smile. Selene elbowed him and returned the seriousness to the atmosphere. “Are you sure you know what you are doing? You never really specified what your distraction actually was. Actually, you didn’t really explain it at all.”

“Yeah,” Bertholdt said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. “You’ll see what it is soon.”

“It better be big. I don’t like all this suspense.” Selene once again glared at Brady who was trying to lighten the mood. Seeing the glare, he put his hands in defeat. “Sorry for trying to put a good spin on what could be our ‘glorious’ deaths.”

“Keeping trying, brute,” Selene then turned to Bertholdt and placed her hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. “Are you sure you know what you are doing?” Bertholdt could see the worry in her eyes. Bertholdt couldn’t remember the last time anyone looked at him like that.

“I know it is strange, but you have to trust me,” Bertholdt said as he placed his hand on Selene’s. “I know what I am doing.”

_At least I hope I know._

“What about you guys? Are you sure you want to do this? You could have taken this time to leave the city,” Bertholdt said as he questioned his companions. “Don’t you guys want to escape? To live?”

Both looked at each other. “Like you said, if Orkimedes is victorious here, it doesn’t matter where we go. We would just die anyways. It’s better if we help and die here instead of dying in agony afterwards,” Selene said. “Besides, I still need to take revenge on Orkimedes for everything he has done.”

“Plus, I owe you for helping me escape Black Crag,” Bertholdt turned to Brady as he started. “You could have left me to die and you didn’t. No one has ever done that before. So, I’m not going to leave without returning the favor.”

Bertholdt smiled as he took in just how little he knew these two and they were already the greatest of friends he had ever known. “Thank you,” said Bertholdt. He then turned when an Ork horn was blown, signaling to attack with full force.

“You guys know what to do. The whole world is on your shoulders now,” Bertholdt placed his hands on both of their shoulders, “and I wouldn’t trust it with anyone else.” All three smiled as they joined in an awkward but comfortable hug. “Now get out of here.”

Brady nodded and rustled Bertholdt’s hair before he made his way across the wall. He nodded to Selene as she nodded back. Before she left, she quickly leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Stay safe,” she said as she followed Brady away from the blushing Bertholdt.

Quickly regaining his composure, he looked out towards the encroaching Ork horde. Regardless of Brady’s joking, Bertholdt was wondering if he had lost his mind. He shouldn’t be fighting someone else’s battle. He was already doing that for Marley. For Reiner. For Annie. But now here was on the wall he inadvertently helped destroy. He shouldn’t care about these people and he should have been on his way to find a way home.

And yet, he didn’t leave.

It was all because of Briggs. If Bertholdt had never met Briggs, he wouldn’t have learned the true meaning of sacrifice. Sure, Marcel sacrificed himself to save Reiner but that was because Marcel felt guilty about tricking Reiner. Briggs sacrificed himself not just for Bertholdt or his family, but for all of Armageddon.

He wasn’t aiming to be a hero. He wasn’t looking for praise or prestige. He did what he did so he could save his people. In Marley, the Warriors were praised as heroes as they went on their mission but in his mind, it was more to make Marley look powerful. Here, Briggs and the Guardsmen were ready to die if it meant the safety of their people.

Then there was Ghazghkull, who sacrificed everything to bring peace and honor back to the lands of Ullanor and the Ork race. He also wasn’t trying to be the hero but he believed it was his duty to see it through.

It was ironic. Here in a worse world than his, no one here wanted to be a hero. No one wanted to grab power but those who were evil. They all just wanted to survive, even the warmongering Orks. These should be the people to be written and told as heroes.

Bertholdt looked at his hand to see it steaming once again. This time though, he wasn’t angry, scared, or happy. He had purpose. He was going to get home. He would help Annie and Reiner. He would get them home. But first, he had a promise to keep.

Protecting Briggs’s family and his home.

 _Listen,_ he said to himself and whoever was listening to him in his head, _I know you may think this is foolish and stupid. It probably is. But I made a promise. I fulfilled the promise to warn Armageddon. But I also promised to protect Severina and Marneus. I have the power to do that and if I die doing this, then I die. But at least I will die knowing that for once, I used this power for good._

His angel and devil did not respond so he assumed that they were powerless to say anything or they just didn’t want to.

_Colossal. If you are in there, listen to me. I know you are hurt and still recovering from whatever Orkimedes did to you. But I need your help. I know I can become you easily without your permission. But if you are sentient, lend me your strength. I may not like you but help me do the right thing. Please._

Nothing responded so Bertholdt took it as him just convincing himself. Taking a deep breath, he climbed over the railing and found himself on the edge of the wall. Fear slowly began to creep into him as he looked down to see how far the drop was. He was wondering if he was actually going to transform or not because the last time he tried, it didn’t work.

**I AM WITH YOU. TODAY, WE FIGHT TOGETHER.**

The loud rumbling sound in his head didn’t scare him as much as it used to. _Wait a minute. It’s been you whose been talking to me. Does this actually mean the Nine Titans are sentient?_ The supposed Colossal Titan did not answer. Bertholdt guessed that it wasn’t the talkative type.

He then looked to the bottom of the wall where the Orks were closing in on the breach. Taking a deep breath of confidence and courage, Bertholdt let go of the railing and jumped. As Bertholdt plummeted to the ground, he closed his eyes.

 _Because of you, we aren’t going home._ Bertholdt’s mind went back to the day before he was captured. The day Annie told him how she really felt towards him. _Because of your lack of spine and inability to think for yourself, I may not see my father again. I might not see my home again. All because you didn’t have the guts to do anything by yourself._ Bertholdt brought his hand towards his mouth. _I’m probably not going to make it home because you’re a damn coward._

Bertholdt opened his eyes and bit into his hand. Electricity surrounded him as he felt the heat and lightning consume his body.

_I promise you, Annie. I will get you home. If I have to break every damn wall or kill every creature and person in my way, I will do it. I will get you home. No matter what it takes._

As the Orks reached the breach, Bertholdt’s massive explosion sent a massive quaking across the ground and the wall. The nuclear explosion roasted the Orks alive and eradicated any vehicle and Titan that was within the blast radius.

The attacking Orks halted their attack as they witnessed the giant mushroom cloud appear from where the explosion occurred. They looked at their nobs and bosses in fear and hesitation as they did not know what to do.

Just when the leadership of the Orks managed to get some spirit back into the Orks, the green tide noticed a large, skinless hand appear from the smoke. Then another appeared, swiping at nearby Orks and vehicles, killing them on contact or burning them alive.

When the smoke disappeared did the Orks look upon the beast. Some recognized it as the giant that destroyed Iron Rock while others though it was the One Who Creates. But whatever it was, the Orks were scared of the beast that made its way out of the smoke. Orkimedes saw what it was and clenched his fists and jaw in anger.

For the Colossal Titan stood tall and started on its way across the battlefield, ready to defend the city of Armageddon. And inside the nape of the terrifying beast, Bertholdt watched as he readied his giant form for battle as he roared.

_Today, I am the God of Destruction._

……

_“Annie; don’t get a big head about yourself when I say this,” Annie looked up at her father as he spoke. “But you are exceling in your combat and your studies. Even after you achieved the Female Titan, you still focus on being the best.” He grabbed a napkin and cleaned his lips from the food. “I am proud of you.”_

_Annie didn’t show it but that was all she ever wanted to hear. A sign that he loved her. A sign that he was proud of her. After everything she went through, this was a dream come true._

_Then he started crying._

_Annie didn’t know what he was crying about. It was even rarer for her father to cry or show any emotion. It was unlike her adopted father. It was also unlike her to walk over to see if he was okay. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she went over anyways. She wanted to ask if he was okay, but she found that she couldn’t say anything._

_“I’m sorry,” he said as he lowered his head. Annie reached out to turn his face towards her, but he covered his face with his hands. She then heard a strange noise. It sounded like a mix of maracas and a low vibration. She turned to see where it came from, but she didn’t see anything._

_She then turned around to find her father on the ground. Panicked, she rushed over to him and turned him over. She was shocked to see his eyes pure white and that his tears were actually blood streaking down his face. She pounded his chest, trying to bring life back into him._

_“Aaaaaannie,” a distant voice cried outside. Ice filled her veins and she started to shake in fear. She didn’t know why but the thing that voice was attached to scared her. “Aaaannie. Where are yoooouuu?”_

_Suddenly, Mr. Leonhardt jolted up and grabbed her by the shoulders. “He’s here. He’s coming. I thought he was gone. He’s come back.” He then grabbed his chest as he doubled over in pain as he began throwing up. Annie rushed over to help him, but he pushed her away. “Run Annie.” She didn’t move as she witnessed the movement of something in Mr. Leonhardt’s stomach. “RUN!”_

_That was when a giant purple serpent erupted from the chest of her father. Annie didn’t scream but quickly began stepping back as the serpent hissed at her. It then turned to face Mr. Leonhardt as it dived at him. Annie turned and sprinted out the door to not see the serpent tear her adopted father apart._

_Without looking back, she ran into the woods. She couldn’t hear anything coming from behind her, but her instincts told her that she was being stalked. She should have looked back to see what was after her but that was the last thing she wanted. She kept telling herself that she would not stop running._

_Until she tripped on a root and found herself tumbling down a hill. She felt no pain strangely enough, but the landing knocked the breath out of her. She wanted to lay there, hopefully to get her breathing back on track._

_“Aaaaannie.”_

_Immediately, fear took over her as she crawled behind a tree. No sooner did she hear the movement of something getting close to the bottom of the hill. She was starting to panic; something she was not used to. The movement soon became the sound of footsteps as the thing walked slowly, snapping twigs almost every time._

_“Come out come out wherever you arrre,” the thing said as it got closer to the tree she was hiding behind. She wanted to scream but she placed her hands over her mouth as tears of fear streaked from her eyes. “You don’t have to be scared. I won’t hurt you.”_

_After a few minutes of calling out to her, the thing sounded like it was moving away from her. She was still scared to move as she began breathing heavily and was starting to cry in fear._

_“I promise you, Annie. I will get you home. If I have to break every damn wall or kill every creature and person in my way, I will do it. I will get you home. No matter what it takes.”_

_Annie stopped panicking as she heard the voice. It was gentle yet determined. Fierce yet calming. Aggressive yet protective._

_She then saw an explosion erupt in the distance. Fear lost its grip on her as she slowly moved closer to see what was happening. She then witnessed the familiar Colossal Titan rise from the smoke and roar._

_“Today, I am the God of Destruction.”_

_“Bertholdt?” Annie found herself whispering as she heard her comrade’s familiar voice._

_“There you are Annie.” Annie then felt her body wrapped by what seemed to be a giant serpent. She struggled but she found that she couldn’t do anything. She wanted to scream for help but when she looked up, the Colossal Titan was gone as if it never existed._

_A scaly hand found itself over Annie’s mouth as the thing behind her chuckled. “Don’t worry Annie. I’ll deal with him soon. But for now,” three more scaly hands showed up from behind her. Two had knives while the other had a large, shining sword. “I want to hear you scream.” That was when the three hands came right at her._

Annie quickly woke up, rolling towards the wall of the abandoned house and stood in her defensive stance.

She was breathing heavily and loudly, scanning the room multiple times for any sign of the monster that had her in its grasp. She was happy that she was in a room by herself and not sharing one with the others. That would have been embarrassing.

As logic and safety filled her head, Annie slid down the wall and released herself from her stance. The nightmare she just had was unlike anything she ever had before. She normally didn’t get nightmares but this one terrified her.

There was no way she was going back to sleep after that. Her instincts and senses would be off tomorrow, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to go back to being hunted by the creature.

Though one question continued to pester her. Why was Bertholdt in her dream and when did he say those words? From the way it sounded, he was confident. That was something she had never seen from him. She racked her brain to remember a conversation where those words came up, but she couldn’t remember.

She then heard the snapping of twigs outside. She at first thought it was the monster and was getting ready to run. But then she realized that this was real life. No monster like that could ever exist.

_Could it?_

She slowly looked out her window to see a shadowy figure move through the forest. Normally, she wouldn’t even think about running towards danger but against her better judgement (probably due to the nightmare) she grabbed her hoodie and exited her room.

She silently made her way past the room Jerrod and Margaret were sleeping in and the couch Reiner was sleeping on. After exiting the house, she ran over to where she saw the figure. The sun was still down so there was no light to help her.

Instead, she kept walking forward through the woods, hoping to catch up to the man. As she kept moving forward, she was lucky to get glimpses of the figure. She continued to follow until she was led to a trail. She couldn’t see the figure, but she then looked to the trail to see what looked to be a damp torch on the ground. Underneath it was a cluster of footprints.

She then immediately turned around and let out a powerful kick to the figure that she heard getting close to her. The figure was sent flying into a tree as she once again settled in her defensive position.

“Easy. Dammit, I think you dislocated my shoulder. Grah!” She scowled at the familiar whining of Reiner as he was slow to get up from her attack. Rolling her eyes, she released herself from the position and crossed her arms as Reiner made his way towards her. “What was that for?”

“That’s what you get for sneaking up on me. What are you doing?”

“Me? I’m following you. I noticed you exiting the house and I followed you out here. What are you doing here?” Reiner said.

Annie turned away from him. “I was clearing my head. We have been searching for Bertholdt for a week out here now. I just wanted to let off steam.”

“So, you came out here in the middle of the woods? Nice try but tell me what is actually going on here?” Reiner said with more directive behind his questions. Annie knew that he wouldn’t leave her alone, so she gave in.

“I heard a noise and so when I looked outside, I saw something. So, I followed it. Now I find that it has led me to this trail.” Reiner was waiting for her to tell her what good was following the figure. “This trail has loads of footprints on it. The amount here means that this could have been the snatchers. And…” she reached over and grabbed the torch, “Jerrod said Bertholdt led the snatchers away so this could have been theirs.”

Reiner’s eyes widened as realization hit him. “So, this could be were Bertholdt went.” Annie nodded as Reiner took the torch from Annie. “Should we get Jerrod and Margaret?”

Annie shook her head. “They are sleeping. Besides, if we find Bertholdt, we can ditch them and get on our way.”

Reiner clearly did not like that idea. “Come on. They are helping us find him. They deserve to know that they helped us find him. We wouldn’t be on this trail without them. Besides,” Reiner looked around the forest as he listened to the sounds of the woods. Owls, bats, and other creatures were making noises in the night. “I don’t like leaving them out here. Who knows what could be out here?”

“You’re being paranoid. Know if you are done being scared,” Annie turned and began to follow the trail. Reiner took a minute to ponder but Annie heard him start to follow. The trail was not a long one, but it was a twisty one. When the footprints disappeared, they found evidence of broken twigs, branches and blood that helped them out.

No sooner did they find themselves at the mouth of a cave. Normally, caves would not scare anyone, but this cave looked ominous and creepy. Annie definitely did not want to go in there, but she then saw something that only made her certain that they had to.

“Reiner,” she said as she went over to pick up a club resting against some rocks, “they said Bertholdt led them away making noise with this right?” Reiner nodded with growing excitement. “So I guess he went in there.” _Of course we have to. Couldn’t you have found a nice lake to hide in Bertholdt?_

Reiner made his way to the entrance with Annie right behind him. Reiner looked at her to see if she was ready. She nodded as the two began to walk through the entrance.

“Do not take another step into that cave.”

Both Warriors turned to face a hooded man making his way towards them. The man carried a long staff that looked to have a rusted metal bird on the top of it. He was hunched over, and the man’s face was covered by the night’s darkness.

“That place is not for you. You are not to go in there.”

“Why not?” said Reiner as he stood in front of Annie in a protective way. _I don’t need defending, especially from you._

“That is not your path to take. This was his to take alone and he is on his path now. And you are not to interfere,” said the man as he made his way towards the two.

“Look you babbling lunatic. Our friend came this way and he may be in danger. So thanks but no thanks. So get out of our way,” Reiner said as he clenched his fists at the approaching man.

“So forceful,” said the man as he got close enough to them where Annie could finally see his face. The man’s face was scarred with what looked like a huge claw mark on his right side. Even worse, the man had an eye missing. Annie was starting to get nervous around this man. It only increased when the man laughed dryly.

“But I guess force, especially brute force, is all you know Reiner Braun.” Reiner and Annie didn’t say anything as the man leaned down until he was inches from Reiner’s face. “Or do you prefer Armored Titan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Big Klans:  
> In the land of Ullanor, the great green land is made up of a vast amount of small and local tribes. As time went by, tribes would grow to consume others and became powerful klans. No sooner did the lands of Ullanor become divided and claimed by the powerful klans and wars begin being fought between them. Thankfully, the One Who Creates blessed them with the presence of the Ork Titan, which promptly united them. Battles and raids still occur between the klans but outright war between them was banned by the Warlord of Orkdom. Referred to as the Big Klanz, they control many tribes and warbands as well as serve as major suppliers among Ullanor. The Big Klanz are made up of the Bad Moons, Blood Axes, Deathskulls, Evil Suns, Goffs, and Snakebites.
> 
> Weirdboys:  
> Amongst the population of the Orks are the strange caste known as the Weirdboys. They act as odd prophets and soothsayers among the klans as they preach of carrying the word of the One Who Creates. Either it is true or they are just crazed, no Ork will question them as they have the power to summon the mighty powers of the Waaagh. Though the Orks are able to use the Waaagh to make themselves powerful and create odd creations, Weirdboys can use the power of the Waaagh realm to manifest dangerous abilites. From summoning green lightning to teleporting entire armies, Weirdboys are not to be trifled with. Though they distance themselves from war, they mainly advise chiefs and Warbosses whenever they want. The greatest of them was believed to be Wurrzag Da Great Greent Prophet' who was believed to be the only one to speak to the One Who Creates.


	20. God of Destruction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody. Thank you all once again for the hits, kudos, and comments. I would like to say sorry for any punctuation errors that you may see as I do not have any beta readers. But do know I do go back through the chapters on my own time to fix any mistakes. Enjoy the chapter.

Orks scattered across the charred battlefield as the Colossal Titan marched a steady pace over them. Many Orks attempted to charge at Bertholdt, but the Warrior simply ignored them as he ended up squashing them.

The little Orks were not Bertholdt’s concern at the moment. He felt the ammunition of the Ork vehicles hit him in his chest and legs as he continued his attack. With a large hand covering his face, he would lean down and swipe away the scrap heaps the Orks called vehicles. Deff Dreads would be smashed under his mighty foot, tanks and buggies sent flying with a powerful swipe, and Titans picked up and thrown across the field.

It had been 15 minutes since he transformed and already, he had staggered the attacking horde. Bertholdt knew that they wouldn’t be afraid for long, so he had to work quickly. He continued to wreck their armored vehicles and squash big gobs of Orks. There was no way for him to squash them all. Just by looking at what was ahead of him, he had barely scratched the surface.

Bertholdt felt like he was fighting an ant hill, with the Orks pouring out of their hill with seemingly no end in sight.

But his role wasn’t to fight the whole Waaagh. His objective was to take out as many of the Ork machines as he could. Though his main goal was to distract the enemy, he made it a secondary goal to wipe out as many of them as possible.

 _I only have a few more minutes,_ Bertholdt thought. _It won’t be long before they turn around and attack. If they don’t, Orkimedes will make them. Just a few mooooore…_

Bertholdt then felt immense pain as clusters of missiles hit his face. The Colossal Titan staggered back as Bertholdt did his best not to fall over. _What hit me?_ Bertholdt then heard the sounds of engines fill the sky as Ork planes and bombers swooped around his head. He heard many of the pilots cheering and shouting as they continued to unload their weapons on him.

Bertholdt grunted. No sooner did the Colossal Titan explode in steam, sending the flyers crashing into each other or sending them to the ground. He halted his steam and began to move forward only to be hit again by the planes.

 _Dammit. Orkimedes must have improved their fighters,_ Bertholdt thought as he found that he only took out a few out of the many. The Orks continued to harass him as he swiped at them, only to hit one or two as the others dodged with ease. _At this rate, I’ll be stuck here. When the Orks rally, I’ll become a pincushion._

Bertholdt steamed again, but it proved less than satisfactory as about only one or two Orks were caught by it. After he stopped, they continued to harass him, firing at his face and chest. _I can’t keep doing this._

He averted his gaze to the top of Crookback Mountain. In the distance, he could make out the weird device on the peak of the mountain. Bertholdt gritted his teeth as he heard his Colossal Titan growl. _He must have learned from last time. They aren’t throwing everything at me like they did in Iron Rock. Is it possibly that he is trying to wear me out?_ Bertholdt regained focus on the planes as he steamed again, but none of the planes took the bait. _If I keep doing this, my Titan will lose its bulk. I’m already not at full strength and if I continue, I’ll be nothing but bones._

That was perhaps the one weakness of the Colossal Titan. Sure, it was big, could pack a punch, and was surprisingly evasive for its outstanding size. However, the power and physique of the Colossal was based on how the wielder felt. If Bertholdt was at full strength, his body would be huge and muscular like the day he destroyed the wall. When he transformed, his body wasn’t bad, but he found that there was little meat and muscle on his arms. They looked more skeletal than his body.

Luckily, Bertholdt’s Titan wasn’t made for combat. But attrition was the Colossal Titan’s worst enemy.

If Bertholdt stayed like this, he would be destroyed by the overwhelming firepower of the Waaagh. He could hear the sounds of horns and nobs shouting. He had to do something before he became a huge target.

 _Okay. I guess I have to improvise._ The Colossal Titan removed its hands from its face as they fell to its side. The Colossal Titan then slowly leaned over as it placed one of its massive feet behind it. Both feet dug into the ground as Bertholdt took a deep breath. Without a second thought, Bertholdt launched his Colossal Titan forward, smashing many planes with his large chest.

Bertholdt then dug his feet into the ground and halted himself. As if on instinct, Bertholdt quickly turned around and swiped his skeletal arms at the following planes. Bertholdt was pleased that he took out many of them with his attack. The remaining planes turned tail and flew away.

_That was crazy. I can’t believe I did that with the Colossal._

He then turned to look at the breach in the wall. Only a few packs of Orks ran towards it and disappeared into the city. Bertholdt knew they wouldn’t last long. He also noticed that the Orks went back to panicking after seeing the destruction of the Ork planes. Bertholdt knew there would be more but for now, he had the Orks where he wanted them.

But he knew that he couldn’t keep the Orks from rallying forever.

It wasn’t like Iron Rock. Unlike the Orks he was fighting now, the Goffs would have quickly rallied behind strong leadership as they were not afraid to fight him. The Goffs were the most war-like of the Big Klans and in times like this, the Goff nobs would thump some heads and get them back into the fight. Luckily, he wasn’t fighting any of them today and he could see the importance they had among the ranks of the Orks.

He continued moving forward and swiping at the Orks. He was close to the warcamp. If he could destroy the camp, there was no doubt they would retreat, and victory would be his.

That was when lightning crashed into him, sending the Colossal Titan to the ground.

……

Annie didn’t move as she looked at Reiner with surprise. It seemed Reiner stayed where he was as well as the weird looking man chuckled at the sight of their shock.

“It is fun seeing the faces of young children caught in the act. It is like catching them with their hands in a cookie jar,” the hooded man laughed as he moved to the entrance of the cave.

Annie really had no idea what to say. She was about ready to break this man’s legs and force him out of the way until he revealed his knowledge of Reiner, as if he was introducing him to her. How did this man who she had never known and clearly had the appearance that he lived under a rock know about the Warriors?

That wasn’t important. If he knew, then he could certainly tell others and the mission would be over. And she would never see her father again. While Reiner stayed there stunned, Annie readied herself to attack as she was about to cut herself with her secret ring.

“You had better make that attack count Leonhardt,” the man said as he pulled a flask out of his cloak. “I know the Female Titan is practically made for combat. But I promise you, I have fought things that greatly surpass your strength. Try me, and you won’t like the outcome.”

This made Annie hesitate. Many times, her father had taught her about calculating a man’s strength by his stance and his words. This would teach her who was a threat and most of the time if people were bluffing about their strength. Normally, that would be the case.

Though his form was off-putting, Annie could tell that this man was not bluffing. But this was a chance Annie was willing to take since Reiner was not going to do anything. Sighing, the man snapped his fingers just as Annie cut herself.

But nothing happened. She cut herself again and again with the blade in her ring, but nothing happened. Reiner looked at her in confusion as the man drank from his flask. _What is happening? Why can’t I transform?_ She then looked at the hooded man who wiped his lips with his cloak.

That was when she noticed the electricity circling the eagle statue on his staff. Angrily, she approached the man with venom in her eyes. “What did you do?”

“Me? Nothing extraordinary. I simply dampened your ability to transform. As well as his,” he motioned towards Reiner. “As long as I deem it so and if you are in my vicinity, your Titan forms will do you no good.”

Annie kept her angry look and continued to glare at the man but underneath, she was starting to get frightened. _Who is this man? He knows about us and somehow can stop me from transforming?_

“How do you know about us?” Reiner finally spoke, “You could have heard that from somewhere or have been told by someone. You don’t know anything about us. Sure, you know about the Titans, but you can’t claim to know us.”

The man took another long gulp from his flask. “Yes, continue to act like the confident Warrior you are, Reiner. Where did that get you in the kitchen that day?” The man then leaned over toward Reiner, who had lost his words and had his fist balled. “Daddy didn’t love you back?”

Annie had never seen such anger from him as he punched the man in the face. Reiner grabbed his fist in pain as the man popped his neck. “Children,” the man said sarcastically.

“How did you know that? No one else was there. How could you possibly act like you were there?” Annie saw Reiner processing everything that was happening as he looked at the man with a mix of fear and confusion. “Are you the Coordinate? Are you the Founder? The King of the Walls?”

The man burst out laughing as he balanced himself with his staff as he held his other hand to his gut. Annie and Reiner looked at each other as they were trying to figure out the enigma that was in front of them. What was a quest to save Bertholdt became an attempt to get information from this drunken loon.

“It has been centuries since I have laughed like that.” _Centuries,_ Annie thought. “No, I am not that feeble excuse of a king nor am I the Founding Titan you seek.” That man took another gulp from his flask and put in back in his cloak. “I simply am a person who knows a thing or two about Titans and the worlds.”

 _Worlds?_ At this point, the man was clearly drunk and spouting nonsense. Though he was drunk, he still had the power to halt her transformation. It was clear violence was not the answer here as the man basically took that away. She was sure she could beat the man in combat, but now she wasn’t so sure.

“Who are you then?” Annie asked as the man seemed to refocus.

“I go by many names.”

“What name do we call you?” Annie said more pissed off at the man.

“Nothing. My name is not to be learned by you two.”

Annie really wanted to punch the man. This was not helping. “Then what exactly are you? You certainly don’t act Eldian. Or human for that matter.”

“That is an excellent question. That is one I can actually answer,” the man said as he leaned against the cavern entrance. “I am what you call a remembrancer. A chronicler. I record what has been and what is to come.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Reiner said. “Are you some sort of prophet?”

“In a way, yes. But I do not tell prophecies or announce them. I keep to myself and only reveal what I know to those that are required to know. So, in a simple sense, I am a messenger but a very… restricted one.”

Annie could care less about all of this. She didn’t know why Reiner was feeding him questions when they should be looking for Bertholdt. The only clues she and Reiner had was leading into the cave.

“Listen old man,” Annie said as the man looked towards her. “I don’t care about prophecies or messages. We are here to look for our friend. I assume you know who he is.”

“I do. Bertholdt Hoover the Colossal Titan. The God of Destruction. The Destroyer of Walls and Cities. And most importantly, your comrade and… friend,” he said looking at Annie with a weird look. “You seem very desperate to find your friend aren’t you Leonhardt?”

Annie didn’t know why but she felt heat rise to her face. Especially her cheeks. Luckily it was dark enough for no one to see it. “He’s our comrade and we need him to complete the mission.”

“Mission?” The man said while raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Reiner came in, “to save the world from the Rumbling and bring justice to the people of Paradis.”

“If only you knew the truth,” Annie heard the man whisper under his breath. _What exactly does that mean? What does this man think he knows?_

“Listen both of you. You two have vital roles to play as time goes by. In this world and the next to come. I will be the one writing chronicles about you and the others who have a part to play,” the man said as the two Warriors looked at each other in confusion, a face they would master after tonight.

“But I cannot allow you to enter this cave.”

……

Bertholdt’s eyes opened as he felt the massive pain in his body. Shaking his head within the Colossal, he blinked his eyes to regain focus as he looked through the eyes of his Titan. He found that his Titan was looking at the sky. _Is the sun beginning to set? Has this day really been that long?_

**FOCUS. GET UP.**

Without thinking, Bertholdt followed the orders of the loud voice as he managed to haul his humongous body to a sitting position. Though he was still dazed, Bertholdt looked across the battlefield.

He noticed that the Orks were cheering and were beginning to rally. Bertholdt had run out of time as he could tell the greenskins were no longer afraid of him as they were before. Bertholdt then looked towards the top of Crookback Mountain.

 _Orkimedes must have hit me. With my own lightning,_ Bertholdt thought as he gritted his teeth in anger. _How dare he strike me with that. He is going to pay._

 _Calm down Bertholdt,_ he told himself, _getting angry won’t solve anything. Stay focused. You have his attention so that means the plan is working._

Bertholdt took some deep breaths as he forced his Titan to its feet. His Titan growled as it returned to its feet. With renewed focus, Bertholdt started his march again towards the warcamp. Once again, the cannons started firing at him again as he placed his left hand across his face. But instead of looking forward, Bertholdt was looking at the sky waiting to see when the next lightning strike would occur. He wasn’t sure if he could withstand another blast, but he would have a better chance if he saw it coming.

Just as he thought, yellow lightning was appearing across the sky as it connected in a single block. Bertholdt stopped his movement and braced for the hit as he lifted both of his arms to block it. He wasn’t sure what good this would do him, but he didn’t have any other option.

With a boom of thunder, the lightning shot at him with vicious speed as it hit Bertholdt’s arms. He was glad that he wasn’t forced on his back like last time, but his body was still rattled with pain. He felt himself being moved back as his feet began digging into the ground.

Bertholdt could hear himself and his Titan groan as pain spread throughout his body. After what seemed like forever, the lightning ceased. Bertholdt was relieved but he found that his Colossal body was giving out. Out of nowhere, his body fell to its hands and knees. _Not now. I have to keep fighting. Get up Bertholdt._ His mind flashed to Marcel saving Reiner. Then to Briggs dying in front of him. Then to Ghazghkull saving him from Kharn. _They have saved you. They saw worth in you. They thought you could be a hero. Now GET UP!_ The Colossal Titan roared as it slowly began to rise again.

That was when Bertholdt felt a familiar pain in his Titan form. Out of nowhere, cables and wires were shot into Bertholdt’s body. Bertholdt looked in fear as the familiar buggies used by Orkimedes to sap him of his lightning in Iron Rock emerged from the crowd of Orks. The Orks began to chant and cheer as the buggies turned on and began draining him. Desperate, Bertholdt swiped his arm at the buggies. Many of them backed up so Bertholdt’s attack was meaningless.

Bertholdt felt his strength fading as he heard the horns of the Ork horde sound in front of him. He looked up to see them charging at him. He braced (with his fleeting strength) but found that the Orks didn’t attack him. Instead, they were charging towards the breach in the wall.

_No._

Bertholdt tried to swipe at them but he could feel his energy fading away. His arm barely moved in response. All Bertholdt could do was watch as the Ork horde ran towards the breach.

Then he heard the familiar roar of Krimson Killa. Bertholdt smiled as his green friend rode the wyvern over the sea of green and directly at the buggies. With another roar, the beast dived at the buggies and shattered them. One by one, Ghazghkull and Krimson Killa tore the buggies apart and slaughtered any Orks who got in their way.

As the Ork of Metal and Honor ripped apart the last of the buggies, the Orks looked at him in awe. Ghazghkull roared as he raised Gitsnik high with green lightning surrounding it. It only took a few minutes for the chiefs and bosses to reassemble their horde and were about ready to charge.

Bertholdt felt his stolen energy return to him as he regained what he could only describe as a ‘second wind.’ With his returned energy, he swiped at the nearby buggies and Orks, sending them more into panic as Ghazghkull finished up with the rest.

Then Bertholdt heard the roar of the Goffs horn. It was then followed by the sound of large trumpets that he recognized as the Imperial Guard’s anthem. The Ork Waaagh looked at the city of Armageddon in confusion as some began to scratch their heads dumbly. The gate of Armageddon opened as the anthem continued.

Then Bertholdt saw a sight he couldn’t put into words as his Colossal head weakly turned to face the city. The many Orks of the Goffs charged through the breach of the wall while the many remaining Guardsmen of Armageddon charged towards the enemy Orks. While Snikrot and nobs led the Orks, Severina rode in front on a horse with her sword held high. Behind her, was a massive tank (known as the Baneblade by the soldiers) with Lord Commissar Yarrick next to cannon holding the flag of Armageddon and the Imperium.

Orkimedes’s Orks began to panic and falter as the brave and ferocious alliance of man and Ork charged towards them. That was when Bertholdt heard something on what looked like speakers within the warcamp.

“DO NOTZ FALTA’ BOYZ! YUZ DA ORKS, DA BIGGEST FIGHTAZ IN DA WORLD! GET OUT DER AND ZMASH ZUM ‘EADZ!”

With renewed courage, (or fear of failure) the enemy readied themselves for the attack and charged on their own.

Bertholdt was close to the middle of the fight as the two armies were close to meeting. This was something that Bertholdt could not relate to any of his books. True, he had read the parts of epic charges and last stands of the protagonists, but he never imagined he would witness anything like it. Both Goffs and Guardsmen were charging to their possible deaths, but they were not deterred.

He knew this was his plan he pitched to them, but he never imagined it would look like this.

Ghazghkull ascended to the air on the back of Krimson Killa and flew to the army of his klan. He circled around as he raised Gitsnik once again. Lightning swirled around him as he urged Krimson Killa and his klan forward.

“WAAAGH!” Ghazghkull shouted, echoing across the battlefield.

Then Bertholdt turned to see Yarrick raising the flags above his head as he and the Guardsmen shouted. “FOR ARMAGGEDON! FOR THE IMPERIUM!” Bertholdt felt chills in his form as he looked upon the strongest force of man he had ever seen. With their courage strengthening him, the Colossal Titan rose again and faced the warcamp. As he roared, he could hear the final cry of the Guardsmen just before the met the enemy in combat.

“FOR THE EMPEROR!”

……

Ghazghkull grunted as he swung his mighty battleaxe at a group of Orks charging at him. It was a clean swing and many Ork heads flew into the air as Krimson Killa lunged at another group of enemies.

As the two armies met each other in the field, Ghazghkull looked to see his friend Bert’oldt rising from the ground. Ghazghkull sighed in relief as he was glad that he had arrived just in the nick of time. No sooner did the Kolossal Titan begin stomping and swatting Ork forces beneath him.

Ghazghkull didn’t hear the warning cry of Krimson Killa as Ghazghkull and his mount were smacked across the camp by a huge force. The two tumbled across the ground, squashing unfortunate Orks and humies in their way. At last, the two hit a sturdy building. Ghazghkull got up first and shook his head as he went to see if Krimson Killa was okay. The beast was slow to get up as the blow hurt him the most.

Ghazghkull heard the stomping of huge feet coming towards him. He turned and found himself in the presence of a Gargantuan Squiggoth. Supposedly related to the Squigs, this mammoth of a beast was a huge four-legged beast about half the size of Bert’oldt’s Kolossal leg; about where his calf would be. With three massive tusks on its head and rows of large teeth, the beast moved forward.

Quickly, Ghazghkull leapt onto Krimson Killa and urged him to the sky. They barely made it to the skies before the Squiggoth charged into the building they were against.

Ghazghkull was a fool to think he was safe. No sooner were massive rounds of gunfire fired at his direction. Ghazghkull looked to see the giant howdah-like area on the back of the creature. Armed with Big Shoota Turrets and Rokkit Launchaz with eager looking Orks on its back, the armored beast roared as it turned to face the flying wyvern.

Krimson Killa continued to dodge the incoming fire as he used his Waaagh abilities to destroy the rokkits and attack the beast. Angered, the Squiggoth charged towards Ghazghkull’s position; uncaring if it squashed its allies beneath its titanic feet. As it moved, it was getting harder for Krimson Killa to maneuver around the gunfire.

Ghazghkull growled as he urged Krimson Killa to lunge towards the beast. Krimson Killa obeyed and dived towards the beast. Unrelenting, the beast charged forward but the Orks on top panicked as they covered their heads, fearing an attack. That was when Ghazghkull made his move as he jumped off of Krimson Killa. With a roar, he summoned green lightning around his axe and slammed his weapon into the center of the howdah.

No sooner did the platform erupt and the Squiggoth fell to the ground. Ghazghkull found himself on his metallic back as he slowly rose to his feet. He looked at the Squiggoth and after a few minutes of watching the unreactive face of the beast, he knew it was dead.

He then looked around the battlefield of Armageddon. The battle was intense and filled with the screams of bravery and death. The ground was covered with the many bodies of Orks and man, the smoking heaps of both Ork and Terran vehicles blighting the field. Severina and Snikrot side by side as they led their units against the Ork onslaught and Yarrick shouting commands as he fought off Orks on the surface of his tank.

Krimson Killa flew around in the sky as he took on Ork planes as they fired at him. The destroyed planes fell to the surface like meteors as explosions of grenades and Orkimedes’s lightning erupted across the battlefield. Finally, he saw Bert’oldt stomping on some enemies, creating craters where he killed.

“Is dis be wat ya zaw Wurrzag?” Ghazghkull asked himself as he looked at Gitsnik. Waaagh energy pulsed within the edges of the battleaxe. Ghazghkull felt the power as if it was responding to him. “Was dis inevitable? Kould I ‘ave ztopped dis?”

Ghazghkull then turned as he heard the roar of another Squiggoth charging towards him. Ghazghkull cursed as he was unprepared for the attack and braced for the massive impact. The beast never reached him as the massive fist of the Kolossal slammed the beast into the ground, splattering metal and flesh everywhere. The small tremors caused Ghazghkull to lose balance and fell on his butt.

He then looked up to see Bert’oldt looking at him. Ghazghkull nodded to him as Bert’oldt weirdly gave the Warboss (or Warlord) a massive thumbs-up. Ghazghkul chuckled as Bert’oldt’s other hand reached out for him to hop on. Quickly, Ghazghkull got on as he was elevated high above the battle.

Ghazghkull was never scared of heights but being so high up without Krimson Killa or any aerial vehicle gave him a little stomach trouble.

He hopped off the hand and found himself on his shoulder, close to his nape. Ghazghkull looked to see the Kolossal Titan looking at him. They both then turned their attention to the sound of what seemed like a chorus of horns. On the horizon, Ghazghkull growled as a huge herd of Squiggoths, Savage Orks, and Squigs were charging towards the warcamp and towards the Goffs and Terrans.

“Da Snakebites Klan. Orkimedes must be using dem as back-up.” Ghazghkull looked towards the mountain where the Mad Ork was situated. Huge clouds of thunder and lightning were swirling around the sky above it. “I’ll give Orkimedes dis, his paranoia zertainly does ‘elp ‘im.”

Bert’oldt then turned to face him again. “Bert’oldt,” he shouted a little louder, “We’z ‘ave to keep Orkimedes’z atten’shun on us. He can throw any amount of phorce at us but if Orkimedes is taken out, the klanz will lose confidence.” Ghazghkull then looked to the battlefield to see the defenders of Armageddon lose ground and warriors by the minute. “Are you zure da plan will work? Can we’z win dis?”

It was strange seeing Bert’oldt’s Titan nod immediately after his question. Ghazghkull smiled as the confidence of his powerful friend empowered him as well. With a loud whistle, Krimson Killa zoomed over and Ghazghkull jumped off and landed on his deceased friend’s loyal beast.

“Den let dis be da greatest fight yet.”

……

Orkimedes was not one to lose control of his emotions. Sure, he was angry and mad almost every day, but he always managed to keep his cool. He would take out his anger in his private room, but he would rarely show it in public.

Orkimedes nearly created a huge lightning storm by accident due to his fury at the fact that Ghazghkull, the Ork he wanted dead most of all and thought he actually was, flying on Krimson Killa and leading the Goffs and humies against his horde. He was already pissed to see the Kolossal messing with his plans but seeing Ghazghkull outraged the Big Mek. After all he did to turn Gorbad against him, even pushing him far enough to kill him, he was still here plaguing Orkimedes,

Luckily, he summoned his Snakebite reinforcements. Sure, he knew that they wouldn’t win the battle for him, but it evened the odds slightly, giving Orkimedes more time to try to kill Ghazghkull and the Kolossal.

He was beginning to notice how erratic his canisters of lightning were beginning to react. He didn’t know if they were being affected by his emotions or if it was the fact that the Kolossal was nearby. That only made him angrier. His plan was so close to being finished. His destiny was in the palm of his hand.

Now it was slowly getting ripped away by the Ork and human he hated most.

Roaring, Orkimedes powered up the Crown of Sorcery again and was ready to fire again. He had been firing around the battlefield, wiping out crowds of humies and Orks and leaving nothing but dust and corpses. He aimed at Ghazghkull as often as he could, but the damn wyvern would maneuver out of the way before the lightning struck at them.

Again, he aimed at Ghazghkull as he commanded the lightning to form above him. But just like before, Ghazghkull zoomed away from the area. The lightning crashed down on the Ork warcamp, striking a Squiggoth causing a huge explosion among the warcamp. Orkimedes shouted in rage as he did it again once more but found he only missed again.

Orkimedes was starting to get drained. When Dead-Eye was coordinating the shots for him, that gave him time to regain his energy and produce powerful blasts. Without him, he was firing lightning nonstop and it was beginning to take a toll on him. He was beginning to feel pain all over his body, even with his mechanical parts. Small parts of his machine were beginning to break and erupt in steam.

 _Wat is ‘appening? Am I lozin’ kontrol?_ Orkimedes then steeled himself and pushed the doubts out of his mind. _No. I be in kontrol. I knowz wat I be doin’._ Though the lightning was hard to harness and wield, Orkimedes had mastered it. Besides the pain, there really was no side effect. However, he did notice a weird moment where the mixed energies of Waaagh lightning and Titan lightning started to merge making a weird dark green color. Nothing came of it so he just chalked it up as a weird anomaly.

He then looked across the battlefield that was below him. He was trying to think what his next move would be as he started to conserve energy and get some of it back. He would have thought that Ghazghkull or the Kolossal would have tried to come to him and kill him. He would have easily repelled them, but he was still curious.

_Dey know if I die, dey win da battle. Da klanz will fall to Ghazghkull. Why aren’t they komin’?_ It was the un-Orkiest thing that was happening before him. Normally, enemy bosses would target each other to kill the other and bask in the glory. He expected Ghazghkull to charge up towards him and attempt to defeat him. That was actually what Orkimedes was counting on, knowing he would win the fight.

But Ghazghkull was not even showing the slightest of interest in Orkimedes. He continued to fly around with Krimson Killa dealing damage to his Orks and his creations. Even his Titans were easily being picked off by his enemy. But he never once looked as if he was going after him. Even the Kolossal was busy fighting the Waaagh instead of him.

It didn’t make sense. What was their plan? Surely they didn’t think that defeating the Orks would halt Orkimedes at all. If they knew that, then why would they go through all the trouble of focusing Orkimedes’s attention on them? Unless…

_It be a phuckin’ diver’shun._

Just then, Orkimedes heard the whooshing of the familiar device he helped Dead-Eye make. He turned quickly to see a young boy covered with Dead-Eye’s contraption above him with what looked like a grenade launcher.

“Peekaboo greenie,” the boy said as he fired his 4 rounds at the Big Mek. Quickly, Orkimedes powered his kustom forcefield generator (that he so happened to make as a side project) and emitted it around him as the grenades hit it. After the volley, he emerged unscathed but noticed his machine had taken damage.

“Don’t touch da merkhandize, ya phuckin’ wazzock!” The boy only smiled as he took out a large axe and sped towards him. Growling, Orkimedes took out a Slugga Pistol with his flesh hand and fired it at the boy. It was clear the boy had skill, as he dodged the bullets with ease. Angered, Orkimedes threw the pistol aside and threw some stikkbombs of his own at the boy. The boy saw this and charged towards the edge of the mountain and dove off.

 _Wat?_ Orkimedes thought until the boy swooped into the air and clocked him with his armored fist. The force was so great that it knocked Orkimedes off of his chair and into his device. The boy didn’t let up as he raised his axe to strike him. Quickly, Orkimedes launched his Power Klaw into his chest and sent the boy tumbling. Orkimedes got up and turned to his machine.

Red lights and loud noises were erupting from the machine as the damage the boy did was taking its toll on the machine. Since he was connected to the machine, he could feel the pain increase as well. Cursing, he got to work trying to fix everything. That was when he noticed that the lightning in his canisters were beginning to form the dark green color again.

 _Wat be ‘appenin’? Wat did he do?_ Then it all clicked in his mind. _Dat grot! Ghazghkull knew I’d focus ma anger and lightnin’ at ‘im and da Kolossal. He knew he or any otha’ ding would be zpotted by me and I’z would take it out. Dey attacked da kamp to distract me zo da boy can kill me. Clever move, Ghaz but dis boy will not be da end of me._

He heard the boy scream a war cry as he charged at him again with his axe aimed high. Laughing, the Mad Ork aimed his Power Klaw at him and fired his beam at him. The boy was quick on his feet as he scrambled behind a rock. Orkimedes didn’t let up at as he continued his barrage at the rock. The boy then activated Dead-Eye’s thing as he flew across the small surface on the top of the mountain.

He was clearly skilled with it as he was continuing to evade him. Orkimedes was getting ready for the counterattack but the boy kept his distance. Orkimedes laughed knowing that Ghazghkull’s pathetic assassin had failed and after he was done with the runt, he would refocus on taking out the Warboss. But something was weird about the boy. He wasn’t looking at Orkimedes but was looking at something behind him. Even weirder, he was smiling as if he had just defeated Orkimedes.

Orkimedes opened his eyes widely as he realized what was happening. _It be anotha’ diver’shun!_

Orkimedes quickly turned to see a humie girl already close to him. Orkimedes went to smack her with his Power Klaw but he knew he wouldn’t be fast enough. The knife the girl had in her hand sank into the side of Orkimedes’s neck as it reemerged through his throat.

……

Selene screamed in rage and vengeance as her knife went into Orkimedes’s neck and tore through his throat. She heard the booming of thunder and lightning above them but Selene didn’t care. This was the moment she had been waiting for as she looked at the Ork that took her family from her. It pleased her that the Ork had a look of terror in his eyes.

_“That’s the plan,” Bertholdt said to Ghazghkull, Snikrot, Yarrick, and Commissar Raine as they looked at him with what looked like content. “If there’s anything I know about Titans, it is that they run on energy. The same has to go for Orkimedes. If he uses that lightning too much, he will be exhausted and properly die from overuse. If we hold out long enough, then Ghazghkull can go up and end him.”_

_“Are you sure this will work?” Commissar Raine asked._

_The Lord Commissar placed his hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. “I do.” He then looked to Commissar Raine. “The boy is right. With what Snikrot told us, Orkimedes will be prepared for an assault on him. For the slightest chance of victory, we need him drained.”_

_“But Lord Commissar, we are asking what remains of our regiments to charge in on a plan that may not work. Are we sure about this?”_

_The Lord Commissar then went over and placed both of his hands on the Commissar’s shoulders. “Yes. The men and women of Armageddon know what they signed up for. They know that they signed a death warrant when they entered the Astra Militarum. But if we are unwilling to sacrifice and hide in fear, then we will lose everything.”_

_He then turned to the amassed Guardsmen who had heard everything that had been said. Many were shaking and tearing up. “But we have a duty. Not only to the Imperium or the God-Emperor. But we have a duty to those who have died in line of duty. Those who did not come home. A duty to protect the families of the Imperium and the sons and daughters of the next generation. But most of all,” he went over and grabbed a ripped Armageddon flag from the ground, “we have a duty to protect our home at any cost. If we fall, then we do so in glory and duty. For there is no end to our duty until death claims us. So I command, no, I ASK for your hearts, your bravery, and your lives as we charge towards our ends. So, will you follow me into the depths of hell to save our people?”_

_Selene had never heard such a loud crowd before as they rose their hands and guns in the air. To her surprise, the Orks joined as well raising their weapons high as well and chanting their klan name and their Warlord’s name._

_He then turned back to Commissar Raine with what looked like a friendly face. “We do this for Briggs.” She didn’t know what that meant, but that made Raine regain her conviction as she nodded. With that, he turned to Bertholdt. “Alright boy. Get going on your diversion. When the time is right, we will join you.” The Lord Commissar turned and marched towards his men. Commissar Raine placed a hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder before following him._

_After the two Orks nodded at the boy and left, Bertholdt went over to her and Brady. Brady, of course, had to get the first word. “I like the plan noodleneck. But something tells me you didn’t announce the whole plan? Mind filling us in?”_

_“You can’t seriously be leaving us here. After all Orkimedes and the Orks have done to us?” Bertholdt nervously put his hands up in defense as Selene vented her anger at him. “I was promised and even prophesized that I would have a part in Orkimedes’s downfall. You will not deny me that.”_

_“S-Selene, listen to m-” Bertholdt tried to say._

_“No Bertholdt. You are doing this with us willingly or unwillingly.”_

_“We will?” Brady said with a mix of sarcasm and question. Selene only glared at him._

_“Yes, we will. We got you here. ‘I’ got you here in hopes that I would get revenge for my family. You will not keep me here or so help me-” Selene said, as she felt she was about to explode. There was no way Bertholdt was leaving her here when her vengeance was so close._

_“C-could you pl-please let me ex-”_

_“My god; shut up Selene. Let the hell up. He is trying to fill us in.” Selene once again glared at Brady and then looked back at Bertholdt who was nervously nodding. Sucking some of her anger up, she allowed Bertholdt to speak._

_“Look,” Bertholdt said after taking a deep breath, “I’m not sure if what I am planning will actually work. I don’t really know what Orkimedes is capable of. For all I know, I might be sending people to their deaths with no actual good outcome.”_

_“Buuuuut?” Brady said expectantly._

_“There is a way that we could still stop Orkimedes. Brady, is the ODM gear able to get up mountains?” Bertholdt asked._

_“Definitely. As long as there is stable ground to place the hooks in, I can scale one no problem. That’s my favorite way of hiking,” Brady laughed. “But yes, it can be done.”_

_“Good, because you are the ones who are going to take down Orkimedes.” Both of their eyes widened as Bertholdt placed a hand on Selene’s shoulder. “You two are the only ones I know that Orkimedes has no idea about. He won’t see you coming, especially if he has his sights on Ghazghkull and me.” He then looked towards Selene. “I know you have a vendetta against him. Which is why you are the best person to go after him. Brady will get you there and while he distracts the Mad Ork, you… you pretty much know the rest.”_

_“Do you really want to leave the biggest objective of this plan to us?” Brady asked. Selene also wanted to know that question. He barely knew them and yet he was willing to give them the biggest part of the plan._

_“I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it,” Selene continued to be amazed by this boy. She didn’t know what it was, but she could tell this boy was special._

_That was when Selene hugged him. It wasn’t tight or soft but just somewhere in the middle. She could a feel a tear escaping her eyes so she made sure no one could see it; especially Brady._

_“Thank you.”_

“Thank you,” she said as Orkimedes fell to the ground, his biological hand around his bleeding throat. She stalked around him as if she was a predator monitoring her prey. She was also relieved that Bertholdt trusted her and Brady to get the job done and they did it. Maybe Bertholdt’s trust was that strong with them.

She leaned down and placed a foot on Orkimedes’s Power Klaw. “Do you remember me you piece of shit?” Orkimedes clearly did not seem to recognize her or maybe he was focused on his situation. Either way, Selene didn’t care. “You overworked my father in the mountain. You smashed my mother’s head in front of me. You took everything from me.”

Orkimedes’s eyes widened as it looked as if he remembered her. “To think I almost gave up. But he saved me and in doing so, that kook Wurrzag gave me hope and something to live for. Part of me didn’t think this would happen but I’m glad I never lost hope.” She then plunged her knife into Orkimedes’s biological eye and was pleased by the wailing of her victim.

“Alright Selene, wrap it up. I don’t know how long we can stay up here. I am blowing this machine to shreds,” Brady said as he made his way over with a bag. No sooner did Selene find him pulling out some bombs and placing them on the wacky machine.

“No,” Orkimedes said weakly, “yuz ‘ave no idea wat yuz be doin’. Blow dat ding up and who knowz what will happen? Do yuz know wat powa’ I be usin’ up ‘ere?”

“I don’t care greenie. I’m blowing this up and my partner here is going to finish you off. Take one last look at the world because I know for a fact you aren’t leaving this mountain.” He nodded at Selene forced the Ork to look at her.

“This is for my family and the life that was stolen from me,” she said as she raised her knife.

“NOO!” Orkimedes smacked Selene off of him as she fell to the ground. Selene heard Brady shout but soon found him lying face down next to her.

She quickly rose to find Orkimedes desperately trying to remove the bombs that Brady placed. “Dis can’t be da end. I ‘ave worked my ‘ead off to get ‘ere now. Dis will not be da end of Orkimedes. Do ya ‘ere me? Dis be ma destiny. I’Z WILL BE DA CONQUERA’ OF DA WORLD!”

“No,” Selene said as she reached for Brady’s trigger, “you’re just a parasite that’s about to be extinct.” She clicked the detonator and no sooner did explosions rock the machine.

Selene then saw the erratic lightning that looked like a weird dark green color erupt from the destroyed machine and spread all across the mountain top. She and Brady looked at each other as they felt the trembling of the mountain. They got to their feet as Brady grabbed Selene’s hand as they raced towards the edge.

While Brady was readying his gear, Selene looked at the surface of the mountain to find the lightning seeping into the ground. No sooner did vein-like lines of dark green begin infesting the mountain.

That was when she looked at Orkimedes. His body was beginning to glow as the wires connected to his Power Klaw began to glow bright with lightning. The dark green lightning was entering Orkimedes through the weird crown on his head as his mouth and eyes began glowing brighter than his skin. It was clear Orkimedes was in devastating pain as he held both his hands to his head.

“IT HURTZ! IT HURTZ! IT HUUUURTZ!”

“SELENE! GRAB ON!” Quickly, Selene bit her tongue and wrapped her hands around Brady’s neck as he plunged off the mountain.

That was when she saw a large dark green storm of lightning crash down on the mountain, causing it to erupt in a flurry of dark green and smoke.

……

“I don’t care if you know us or know all about the world and everything, I am going into that cave and finding my friend,” Reiner said defiantly at the hooded man. Annie raised an eyebrow in question as up until recently, he had just been a quivering mess since the man said something about his father.

The hooded man also raised an eyebrow at the small blonde boy. “Now finding your strength huh? There might be hope for you yet.”

“I’m not kidding. Get out of the way or… or…” Annie guessed that Reiner was beginning to remember that he couldn’t transform into the Armored Titan. God, he was a total idiot and was so unworthy of his Titan. She was starting to wish Pieck was here with her now. Or Porco even.

“I can wait. That’s all I’ve been doing for the last several years.”

As the man and Reiner continued going at it, Annie lost all interest in the conversation as she turned her attention towards the cave. All of her thoughts went to Bertholdt. She wondered if he was okay right now.

Out of the three of them, Bertholdt wasn’t the one who deserved this. She was a natural fighter and athlete and she believed that she could take anything that got in her way. She also wouldn’t have blinked an eye if this had happened to Reiner. But Bertholdt, the scared, insecure, and observant Warrior did not deserve any of this.

She would never admit it to Reiner, but she was worried about Bertholdt. The thought of him being tortured by the ‘Kabal’ made her tense. If they were as serious as Jerrod and Margaret made it seem, Bertholdt was going through hell and no one was there to help him. She knew she had to continue the mission, but it would be impossible if it was just her and Reiner. The main problem being her killing Reiner out of anger and frustration.

_“I promise you, Annie. I will get you home. If I have to break every damn wall or kill every creature and person in my way, I will do it. I will get you home. No matter what it takes.”_

Those words continued to float around in her mind. She had never heard that from Bertholdt before but in the dream, she felt the confidence and purpose from him. It was like she was feeling what Bertholdt was feeling. She was beginning to confuse herself, but she was trying really hard to remember if and where she heard Bertholdt say that.

From the way it sounded after she continued to replay it in her head, it sounded like getting her home was Bertholdt’s main reason to complete the mission. But that would be crazy to think. He had a family too.

_“We protested but he said he was okay with it. He said he was an orphan and had no family.”_

Annie convinced herself that he said that to cover his identity but a small part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe he wasn’t lying. And if that was the case and he was only doing this to help her…… and Reiner, then what was Bertholdt’s family like? He never spoke of them to any of the Warriors when everyone else shared. Even she participated though she only said her father taught her how to fight. But when it was Bertholdt’s turn, he didn’t say anything.

As if he was ashamed or frightened of them.

“………… that eagle so far up your ass that you’ll be coughing out feathers,” Annie heard as she returned her focus to the conversation. She once again looked at Reiner in confusion and a little shame as his was red with anger.

“Sure kid. Sure,” the hooded man said. He then moved to the center of the cavern entrance and looked at the both of them. “Why did I believe that I could convince you two to leave well enough alone? You two are as stubborn as they come.”

Reiner seemed to only get redder from that comment. “We aren’t leaving without him. He is our comrade and we will not leave without him. We have already lost one of our group as it is. We can’t lose him as well.” It was strange to hear sympathy in Reiner’s voice.

“Look little Warriors,” the hooded man said, “I know you want to find your friend, but I cannot allow you to interfere with events that have not happened yet. If I allow you to do so, there would be massive consequences. Consequences that I will not let happen because you two were inconsiderate.” The hooded man turned to face Annie. “Especially you, girl,” he said as he pointed at her.

Just like that, her mind transported her back to the night Bertholdt went missing. How she shouted at him and belittled him for agreeing with Reiner. She put the blame of everything on him, even when she knew it wasn’t his fault. It was because of her that Bertholdt wasn’t here with them. If she had just kept her mouth shut and kept her grumblings to herself, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Bertholdt wouldn’t be missing or in the hands of sadistic people who enjoyed pain and pleasure.

“Annie?” She heard Reiner say as he looked at him with confusion. She heard the shift in his voice from confusion to anger, “What did you-”

“In any case,” the man said as the two Warriors refocused on him. “There was only one way to convince you to stay away from this cave and messing with everything. I know what it is will be terrible…… but I have already done so many terrible things.”

Reiner inched closer to him. “What do you mean?”

“They didn’t deserve it. I hope they are merciful on them, but I know they won’t be. But alas, I still told them.” Annie found it strange that the man’s face was once again covered by the hood as he looked to the ground. She sensed sadness and shame in his voice.

“Who are you talking about?” Annie said, keeping a straight face.

“That poor doctor. She was his only child.”

_Was?_

A loud scream was heard and filled the sky. Annie and Reiner reacted in surprise, but the man did not budge even an inch. Annie looked to see how Reiner was only to see him pale and wide-eyed. Only then did she know what the man was talking about.

“Jerrod. Margaret.” Without a second’s hesitation, Reiner took off into the woods towards the direction of the house where Margaret and Jerrod were.

Annie looked to the hooded man with bitterness. “What did you do?” She could feel her calm and fixed demeanor breaking as she looked at the man. He didn’t look to her and did not move.

“What was foretold, Leonhardt. What was foretold.”

Gritting her teeth in anger and defeat, she turned and sprinted after Reiner towards the abandoned house.

……

Bertholdt gasped as Crookback Mountain exploded into pieces and shattered everywhere.

_“Brady. Selene.”_

Bertholdt turned and made his way over to the crumbling mountain as the Orks and Terrans stopped fighting and watched in awe as the raw power of the dark green lightning tore down the mountain. He was walking as fast as he could over, but he knew he wouldn’t make it in time.

Bertholdt choked back sobs as stopped a few miles away from the mountain. His two companions, the two that he trusted, his _friends_ , died in the explosion and it was all his fault. If he hadn’t sent them up there, they wouldn’t be dead.

He then felt a huge presence on his back. He turned to see Krimson Killa holding on to his back and began to crawl onto his shoulder. On the back of the wyvern sat Ghazghkull with his battleaxe and himself covered in Ork blood.

“Bert’oldt. Is every’fing gud?”

Bertholdt turned to look at the wreckage of the mountain that was now a huge pile of rubble and ruin. Huge rocks and trees that were under the mountain made up the pile. There was no way Brady and Selene survived.

Then an explosion appeared at the bottom of the pile. No sooner did Brady and Selene emerge from the rubble. Bertholdt was overcome with relief as he made his way over to them. After a few minutes, Brady was at a good distance where he fired his ODM cables into Bertholdt’s body and flung his way up to the other shoulder.

Bertholdt looked to his friends as they both looked at him in awe and fascination, but not a hint of terror.

“Fuck, is that you Bertholdt?” Brady said as he eyed the Colossal Titan. Bertholdt nodded at him as Brady began to laugh with a confused Selene looking at him. “When I meant the distraction had to be big, I didn’t think you would take it literally.” The Colossal Titan rolled its massive eyes. “I can totally see it too. Even in this form, you have the skinniest neck I have ever seen.”

The Colossal Titan growled but Brady was still laughing. Selene went over and cupped her hands around her mouth. “We did it. Orkimedes’s machine is destroyed and him along with it. The fucker is dead. The battle is over.”

Bertholdt breathed in relief. His plan worked. He looked over to Ghazghkull so see him breathing easy as he looked at the ruins of Crookback Mountain.

_“It’s over. We won. Without Orkimedes, the Orks will surrender. Armageddon is saved.”_

With that, Bertholdt turned the Colossal Titan around and started making his way back to Armageddon. He could see the enemy Orks tossing down their weapons and powering down their vehicles to surrender. The Goffs and the soldiers of Armageddon cheered as Yarrick held up the flags in victory.

 _“We did it. We actually did it. It’s all over.”_ He then turned to focus on Severina, who was staring at him. He was sure she knew who he was. _“I did it, Briggs. I saved your home and your family. You didn’t die in vain.”_

That was when the earth began to shake.

Bertholdt looked below to see if he was doing something with his Colossal Titan but he found he wasn’t doing anything. The shaking turned to rumbling that he heard behind him. Bertholdt turned around as gasped at what he was seeing.

In the mountainous ruins, rocks and trees began to move around on their own as dark green lightning spread all over the rocks. Loud lightning strikes and booms were heard as the rubble seemed to move all over the place.

Then the rumbling stopped as the ruins halted their movement and the lightning ceased.

Then out of the giant rubble, a colossal hand made of rock and trees emerged from the pile. From what Bertholdt could see, it seemed just as big as his. Then another hand erupted from the pile as the rumbling returned. Dark green lightning crackled from the rocky hands as the pile of rubble began to rise.

Out of the rubble came a massive body of earth and rock. Bertholdt felt himself shaking within the nape of the Colossal Titan as the giant being was about the same size as him. It was bulkier than he was, and dark green lightning was spread all across its body. As it moved out of the rubble with its giant clawed stone feet effortlessly destroying the rubble beneath it.

The terrifying part was seeing Ork technology and wood being shifted to the front of the body, forming the outline of an Ork face. After it assembled, dark green lightning ignited with the eyes and mouth.

Bertholdt swore he felt the earth shake as the monster let out a terrifying roar, causing lightning to erupt from the sky and decimate anything it touched. “What the hell is that?” he heard Brady say. But of course, Bertholdt already knew what the monster was. Or in fact, _who_ the monster was.

 _Orkimedes_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to get a better idea of what Orkimedes now looks like, check out this link https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Rogue_Idol_of_Gork_and_Mork or look up "Rogue Idol Warhammer 2". It looks so cool and that's where I got the idea from.
> 
> Gargantuan Squiggoths:  
> The apex predator of the vast plains and badlands of Ullanor. Theorized to be related to the Squigs, the giant behemoths roam the lands in small herds or in solitary as they hunt prey and mark their territory. Every once in a while, Orks are able to capture and tame the powerful beasts with a special class of Orks known as Runtherdaz. Once a Squiggoth is tamed, the Orks outfit it with the best armor it can find and the biggest weapons to be placed on it. Afterwards, a dangerous war beast of the Orks is born. During battle, the Squiggoth usually goes off on its own fighting any enemy it sees, while the Orks on the howdah just fire at anything they see. Squiggoths are known to be the favored weapons of Savage Ork klans, especially the Big Klan; the Snakebites.
> 
> Orkimedes:  
> No Ork really knows the story of the one they call the Mad Ork. Some say he was a dumb Ork who was hit so hard by a rock that he gained supreme intelligence. Others say he was a secret Weirdboy who bent the power of the Waaagh to his will. Regardless, Orkimedes has made his name known as he quickly rose to power among the Meks and gained ground with the Big Klans. His influence allowed him to turn the sacred mountain of the One Who Creates into his own factory. While Orkimedes doesn't fight many battles, he usually has his lackeys and champions do his dirty deeds in his never-ending quest to be the biggest of them all.


	21. Battle of Giants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody. I can't believe I have made it this far. You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you for all your support as I continue to write this story. I still have a little trouble writing fight scenes so if anyone has some suggestions, I would really appreciate it. Now enough of my feels. Enjoy the chapter

Bertholdt thought he was in one of his nightmares. Bertholdt _hoped_ he was in one of his nightmares.

The grounds trembled as the giant monster that was Orkimedes slowly made his way towards him and the city of Armageddon. Lightning swarmed the rugged mountainous body of the monster as the eyes glowed with bright fury. Bertholdt could hear the Terrans panicking and retreating in fear as the Orks began to cheer.

Some Orks began running towards Orkimedes to cheer and chant his name. They completely ignored Bertholdt and the Terrans as the ones loyal to Orkimedes began to amass in front of him. They continued their chanting until Orkimedes was towering over them.

Orkimedes stopped to look down at the Orks that fought for him. A low growl was heard coming from his inanimate face as he raised one of his stony hands out over the crowd. The Orks then turned and readied themselves for battle once again as they played their horns and revved their engines of war.

The monster’s hand ignited with lightning as it glowed with a mysterious dark green light. Suddenly, the Orks directly under the hand glowed began to glow bright green as well as they doubled over in pain. The Orks were screaming in agony as those who were coming to join up with them stopped in their tracks. In a matter of seconds, green lightning came out of the glowing Orks as if it were being drained from them.

“No,” Bertholdt heard Ghazghkull growl on his shoulder. He could even hear Krimson Killa whining in fear at the beast. As the last of the lightning left the Orks, the lightning shot into the massive stone hand and spread across Orkimedes’s body. Orkimedes once again roared as his body bulged with power.

The Orks under his fist simply collapsed to the ground and never moved again.

Seeing this, the Orks panicked and ran towards Armageddon. But instead of attacking the Goffs and the Guardsmen, they ran through them in terror and fear. Not long after, the remaining forces of Armageddon turned tail and ran to the imaginary safety of the walls.

Bertholdt however, did not move as his colossal legs were frozen in fear. Especially since Orkimedes was now almost at an arm’s reach from him.

That was all Orkimedes needed as out of nowhere, his gigantic form charged right at him. It all happened so fast but Bertholdt felt the powerful rocky fist connect with his left skinless cheek. With a single punch, the God of Destruction hit the ground hard, sending a small tremor through the earth.

After crashing into the ground, Bertholdt gritted his teeth as his head hit the ground hard. Bertholdt was greatly dazed at that point because never had his Titan taken a serious hit like that. Reiner and Marcel would talk about hits like that all the time during training and Bertholdt was glad that he never got any hits like that.

After the hit, Bertholdt could see why they complained about it so much.

Weakly, Bertholdt rose to his hands and knees before he found himself face first on the ground again as Orkimedes delivered a dirty hit to the back of Bertholdt’s head. Bertholdt grimaced at the pain as he felt the stony hands of Orkimedes grab his head and shoulders as he lifted him up. Bertholdt was wondering what Orkimedes was doing until he felt Orkimedes’s jaws pressed against his nape.

_NO!_

Panicking, Bertholdt released steam from his Colossal Titan. Though Bertholdt knew it probably wouldn’t affect Orkimedes’s form, he was happy that he at least surprised him; resulting in the monster releasing his nape from Orkimdes’s grasp.

Quickly, Bertholdt whipped around on his knees and smacked Orkimedes with his arm, forcing the monster off of him. Orkimedes growled and threw a punch against him, hitting Bertholdt right in the chest. Bertholdt felt his back hit the ground as Orkimedes rose and readied to pounce on him.

Grunting, Bertholdt tried to get up but gasped as the massive monster pounced at him. Without thinking, Bertholdt had the Colossal Titan somehow raise its massive leg in the air, catching Orkimedes’s chest with his foot. Both beasts were shocked at this but Bertholdt managed to react first. The Colossal Titan reared its leg back, bending its knees, and shot forward, sending Orkimedes stumbling backwards an average distance away and fell on his back.

This gave Bertholdt some time to breathe and recuperate while Orkimedes struggled to rise like a turtle on its back.

While Bertholdt slowly rose to his feet, (which was no easy feat) Bertholdt tried to figure out all that was happening. Selene had said Orkimedes died on the mountain and his machine was destroyed. He believed it even more when the mountain exploded due to the dark green lightning. Bertholdt was sure that the Mad Ork was gone from the world.

As always, Bertholdt found that he wasn’t so lucky. Now he was as big as the Colossal Titan and was seemingly getting stronger with every passing minute. Strangely enough, Bertholdt was beginning to feel weaker but he didn’t know why.

That was when he saw what looked like yellow lightning being absorbed by this chest. _He’s draining me. He is taking my power. That’s why he is becoming stronger. It is just like the Orks._

Fear began to fester within him as Orkimedes charged towards him again. Bertholdt reacted by holding out his hands and catching Orkimedes’s with his. They pushed against each other and Bertholdt was slowly losing ground. Bertholdt could see yellow lightning leaving him as it seeped into Orkimedes’s body.

_What am I going to do?_

……

Yarrick’s Power Klaw was balled, as the Lord Commissar observed what was occurring before him. He had seen the Orks at their worst, the monsters that dwelled in Ullanor, the Skaven ratmen and their creations, and even daemons.

But never had he seen two god-like creatures as tall as mountains fighting with every punch and hit seemingly moving the earth.

But unlike the rest of his men, he didn’t run in fear or cower behind the walls. He didn’t fear anything anymore after watching his family get torn apart by Orks. He had steeled himself to never feel that emotion ever again. Even as the giants battled each other, there he stood on his Baneblade tank holding his flags high.

He then noticed the flying figure of Krimson Killa coming towards him. In the wyvern’s claws were Brady and Selene. As Krimson Killa landed, he released the two but instead of running, they turned to look at the battle occurring.

Ghazghkull dismounted from his mount and went over to his rival. It was a weird feeling but Yarrick was happy that Ghazghkull was on the side of Armageddon. The two had been fighting for a long time, one getting the advantage over the other in a war of strategy and attrition. Now that they were on the same side, Yarrick knew they would win.

That was until the huge rock monster emerged from the destroyed mountain and marched towards his home he swore to never let fall.

“Ghazghkull?” Yarrick shouted, “what in the Emperor’s name is that thing? Some sort of daemon or machine?”

Ghazghkull shook his head and growled. “I’z wish it be dat zimple. But no. Dat be Orkimedes. I don’t knowz wat ‘appened but da machine he waz uzin’ must ‘ave backfired.” Yarrick wasn’t sure if that was the craziest thing he had ever heard in his life. “Orkimedes be fightin’ Bert…… da Kolossal Titan and by da lookz of it, da Kolossal be lozin’.”

Yarrick hopped off the Baneblade and walked over next to Ghazghkull. “I would gladly help and take that thing down, but I do not know what exactly we are fighting here. The priests of the Imperial Cult are trying to get the soldiers back in line but even they are frightened of it. The addition of the skinless beast doesn’t help them at all.”

“My Lord Commissar!” Yarrick turned to see his Primaris Psyker being escorted to him by his retinue of lesser sanctioned psykers. He had his hand placed on his head and was scratching wildly. “I have come to inform you. The two beasts you see before you are creatures of the Warp. Or at least related to it.”

“Explain, Psyker.”

“To the best of my knowledge, those creatures are not daemons or creatures that reside in the Immaterium. Moreover, they seem to be beings who can harness their powers and use it to fight like psykers. But both are different.” He pointed at the skinless giant. “That one is harnessing the power and is controlling it, using it strategically like a warrior. But that one,” the Primaris Psyker motioned to Orkimedes, “seems to be a manifestation of Warp energies. It is nothing more than a mindless beast.”

He then went over to Ghazghkull. “You said that an Ork was harvesting and harnessing energies of the Immaterium correct? Though it is powerful to use like the lightning we witnessed, the consequences are severely dire to those who don’t restrict themselves.”

“Zo yuz be zayin’ dat da Waaagh energy… recoiled?” Ghazghkull said questioningly. Yarrick was also wondering the same thing.

“Exactly. Think of a river. It flows naturally as long as nothing is in its way. But if one puts a dam in front of it, it swells up in size and power. Once the dam cracks, the river floods the lands and destroys everything. The Mad Ork must have agitated the Warp energy too much and abused its power. When the machine couldn’t take it anymore, the Warp energy reacted in the most dangerous way and now has formed an aberrant manifestation.”

“But what exactly does it want? Is Orkimedes controlling that thing?” Yarrick said as he watched Orkimedes and the Colossal Titan continuing to fight. The Colossal seemed to shove Orkimedes away with its long arms. It then launched an attack on Orkimedes’s chest, causing him to stumble backwards.

“For now, I don’t believe Orkimedes is controlling it. He may be steering it with small thoughts, but the monster has its own agenda.” The psyker hastened the scratching of his head. “What I really believe it wants is to feast on more Warp energy. That thing is now sentient and needs to feed to survive. That is why it drained the Orks and why it is after the skinless giant.”

Yarrick and Ghazghkull looked at the Primaris Psyker as he seemed to be wrapping up. “If that thing isn’t stopped in the next few hours and consumes the skinless one, it will grow bigger and stronger. Then it will drain all life on the planet to sate its appetite. It will be nigh impossible to kill it at that point.”

Yarrick lost track of his breathing as the psyker finished his analysis. Yarrick couldn’t really believe what he heard. From the looks of it, Ghazghkull couldn’t believe it either. The scenario just seemed impossible.

“Lord Commissar. Warlord. I cannot stress this enough. If we do not defeat that manifestation, our homes and our world will perish.”

……

Once again, Bertholdt found himself under heavy assault by Orkimedes. Blow after blow, Bertholdt found himself pushed closer and closer to Armageddon. Bertholdt knew he couldn’t allow the fight to move into the city as more casualties would erupt from that. There have already been so many deaths and Bertholdt was not going to let it increase.

Grunting, Bertholdt managed to raise his lanky arms in defense to block Orkimedes’s incoming attack. After blocking his massive fist, Bertholdt whipped his arm at Orkimedes and landed a hit right on Orkimedes face. His material face shattered as the mediocre hit sent Orkimedes back a few steps.

Bertholdt knew he couldn’t let up. Pushing himself to commit further, Bertholdt brought both of his fists above his head. Just as Orkimedes seemed to regain some of his senses, Bertholdt slammed his fists down on Orkimedes’s right shoulder.

The blow was powerful enough to break Orkimedes’s right arm off. With a boom, the arm crashed to the ground. Orkimedes roared as he retaliated with a punch under the Colossal’s chin that sent Bertholdt stumbling. Luckily, he didn’t fall down.

 _Dammit,_ Bertholdt thought as he steadied himself. This was unfamiliar territory he was in right now. Never had there been anything that closely matched the size of the Colossal Titan. Besides the dormant Titans within the walls of Paradis, nothing was large enough to challenge the Colossal. Thus, he never had to learn Titan combat as he would just swipe and kick at enemies.

 _I’ve never fought like this before. It’s all so new and vague._ He then thought back to the times he watched the other Warriors fight each other in Titan combat training. They learned certain moves and tactics as they learned to become more connected to their Titan. Bertholdt would watch but he really paid little attention to it as he thought he would never fight another one like him.

_If only I paid attention, I would have a better chance to defeat Orkimedes._

Bertholdt saw a small flash of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked back towards the rising Orkimedes who had dark green lightning pulsing from his destroyed shoulder. As if it was a reaction, the decapitated arm began to fizzle with life. To Bertholdt’s belief, lightning was ejected by the arm and the shoulder as they connected. Suddenly, the arm was dragged towards the shoulder and was quickly reconnected to the body. Orkimedes balled his fist as if to see if it still worked. The body of rock and earth laughed as his material face was reshaped and reborn on his body.

 _I can’t do this. There is no stopping this monster. I have to run. If I stay, I’m dead._ Bertholdt felt himself hyperventilating within the Colossal’s nape as he began to panic. _What can I do? I can’t win this._

**STOP ACTING LIKE A COWARD. YOU HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR. THINK LIKE A WARRIOR AND FULFILL YOUR PROMISE TO BRIGGS.**

Bertholdt didn’t know how but the Colossal’s voice calmed him and shot confidence into him. _He’s right. Look at all I have done. I destroyed the Wall, survived Ullanor and Black Crag, and made it Armageddon against all the odds. I defeated Valmir and Briggs and broke the siege on the city._ Bertholdt then looked at the Colossal Titan’s hands as he balled them. _I am a Warrior. If I die, I’ll go down fighting like one._

With a new sense of conviction, Bertholdt gathered his senses and shifted his titanic body into a fighting stance. Orkimedes seemed to growl in delight as he started making his way over to him. _He has taken my advantage of attrition away. If I fight too long, he’ll take my power and drain me dry. I have to somehow find a way to end this quickly. If I lose, nothing will stop him from destroying Armageddon._

Orkimedes stopped as he smacked his fists together in anticipation and glee. Bertholdt was already not liking this. Suddenly, Orkimedes lunged from his position and slammed right into Bertholdt’s chest. This time, Bertholdt was ready for it as he stood firm as he took the hit.

Orkimedes pushed him back but Bertholdt dug his feet into the ground to finally halt him. With one hand on the monster’s shoulder, Bertholdt reared his other fist back and began landing punches on the rocky face of Orkimedes.

His punches once again messed up the face of Orkimedes but the Ork was undeterred as he grabbed Bertholdt’s shoulders and headbutted him with his hard head. The hit smashed Bertholdt’s nose as he lost consciousness for a few minutes.

That was all Orkimedes needed. With a roar, he clamped his rocky hands over the Colossal’s head. Bertholdt had no idea what he was doing until he felt the familiar pain of being drained. Pain erupted in Bertholdt’s body as he tried to fight back. However, his punches were doing little to shake Orkimedes off. The monster roared in a gloating tone as he pressed harder on Bertholdt’s head.

Bertholdt thought his head was going to explode.

 _I have to do something. If I don’t shake him, I’m dead._ Bertholdt screamed in his head as he was trying to come up with solutions. _My steam in ineffective at this point. He’s not made of flesh, so I won’t hurt him, and it won’t blast him away. He’s too heavy for that. What exactly can I do?_ Bertholdt couldn’t come up with anything, no matter how hard he thought.

_“That was really amazing Bertholdt.”_

_Bertholdt turned to see Marcel leaning next to the infirmary door. Bertholdt had just finished his Titan training for the day and he was so exhausted that he collapsed after he exited his Titan. He awoke from the infirmary to find no had visited him. It had been a few hours of loneliness before Marcel showed up._

_“What was amazing? I barely did anything.” Bertholdt then leaned back against his pillow and stared out the window. “It’s nothing special.”_

_“No way Bertl. What you can do with the Colossal Titan is amazing,” Marcel said as he hopped onto Bertholdt’s bed. “They say you already are progressing farther along than they expected. You’re a natural.”_

_“Thanks. I guess.” Bertholdt wasn’t quite sure how he should take that. “But I th-think you’re exaggerating a little. All I did was stand still and dispersed steam. I did it until there was nothing left but bones.”_

_Bertholdt got a headache just thinking about him. They wanted to test his stamina and had him emit steam until he was no longer able. He had stood there for hours until he was there was little to no muscle left. His skeleton collapsed afterwards and that was when he remembered losing consciousness._

_“Come on Bertholdt. You emitted steam for ten hours straight. That’s the longest any Colossal has ever done. It’s a record Bertl. Just take the victory,” Marcel grinned as he performed a celebratory slap on his shoulder. Bertholdt was embarrassed when he jolted in slight pain._

_“S-s-sure Marcel. Thanks,” Bertholdt forced a smile, “where would I be without you?”_

_“Let’s not find out. What cool tricks can you do with it?” Marcel asked._

_“Nothing. I can’t move when I do it. I have to stay still for my whole body to burst,” Bertholdt said returning his gaze to the window._

_“Really? You can’t concentrate your steam in a single area?” Marcel asked with more question in his voice._

_Bertholdt returned to look at him with a questioning look of his own. “What do you mean?”_

_“Well,” Marcel said scratching his neck, clearly trying to put his thoughts into words. “You know how the other Titans can harden and heal themselves in certain places if they concentrate?”_

_“Yeah. You know the Colossal doesn’t have that?” Bertholdt retorted. Bertholdt was wondering where Marcel was going with his inquiry._

_“I know. But what if the steam is your… uh… weird way of hardening? I mean it protects your body.” Marcel then got up from the bed. “What if you could concentrate on emitting steam from a certain place on your body? That would be so cool.”_

_Bertholdt had not thought of that. It would make sense but if that was the case, wouldn’t the instructors have told him about that? They know all about the Nine and their abilities. Wouldn’t they have trained him to use that ability? Unless they didn’t know about it._

_“Anyways,” Marcel said as he headed to the door, “I just came to check up on you. We Warriors have to stick together. We are like family though I think I am the only one who acts like it,” Marcel chuckled._

_“That seems… right.” Bertholdt said._

_As he was about to leave, Marcel stopped at the door. “Bertholdt,” Marcel said as Bertholdt looked at his back. “If something… happens to me, do you promise to look after everyone?” Bertholdt didn’t answer as he was still shocked by his question. “I know they all act tough, but I know they are scared. Especially Reiner. I can tell he is hiding under that façade of being loyal, but he is scared. Especially when he…” Marcel didn’t finish his sentence._

_“You’re not like us. You’re not aggressive. You have a peaceful, protective personality. Especially around Annie,” Marcel smirked after seeing Bertholdt blush, “so promise me if it comes to it that you will protect them?”_

_“I-I… uh?” The question completely caught him off guard. Bertholdt could hear the seriousness in his voice and that was what was making it tough for Bertholdt. “I don’t… I don’t know if I am the best for this. But…” He got out of his bed and slowly made his way to Marcel. He cautiously put his hand on Marcel’s shoulder. “I promise I will get them home, however far away that might be.”_

_Marcel smiled and placed his hand on Bertholdt’s shoulder. “You really are a Warrior, Bertholdt.”_

While Orkimedes continued to drain Bertholdt, steam erupted from the back of the Colossal Titan. Without warning, the Colossal Titan’s body flew toward Orkimedes as the steam pushed the skinless body forward. With a roar, Bertholdt wrapped his arms around Orkimedes’s lower section as they crashed into the ground.

With that, Orkimedes released his hold on Bertholdt emitted steam from his chest to quickly get upright on Orkimedes’s body. Bertholdt looked down at the monster that Bertholdt hated most. He once again reared back his fist, aiming it at Orkimedes’s monstrous face.

_I made a promise. TO GET THEM HOME! NO MATTER WHAT!_

Steam erupted from the elbow and rocketed the fist towards Orkimedes. With a loud, devastating boom, the fist crushed Orkimedes’s face and even broke through the tough body of his. When the Colossal lifted his fist, Bertholdt could see the crater he made on Orkimedes’s body.

Orkimedes’s body roared as it grabbed the Colossal’s side and threw him to the side. Bertholdt didn’t tumble but he slightly skidded on the ground. Dazed, Bertholdt quickly commanded himself to get up fast. But he could see that Orkimedes got up faster than he did.

Once again, Orkimedes’s face was reformed but this time it was not like the original as the crater made it sink a little. Still, the face was a terrifying thing to look at. Especially with the dark lightning pulsing through the eyes and mouth.

Orkimedes then raised his right arm. Strangely, the arm began to shift as if it was reconstructing itself. Tech and rock moved all over until the right arm of Orkimedes looked bigger and stronger. Instead of a normal arm, it had three large talons and a bulkier build. In the center of Orkimedes’s palm was an irregular looking circle. It somehow looked like…

_Orkimedes’s Power Klaw!_

Before Bertholdt knew it, lightning filled the circle on the Klaw arm. Bertholdt was able to raise his arms to block but he was sure that wasn’t going to help. No sooner did a large beam of concentrated lightning erupt from the klaw and directly hit Bertholdt.

Bertholdt felt like he was getting hit by a large train. Bertholdt had said that he had felt tremendous pain before, but this was nothing like the other times. This hurt more than anything Bertholdt had ever felt and he was screaming in pain from inside his nape. He could feel the skin on the Colossal begin to evaporate.

_Just like he did to that Ork who fought him for Briggs._

Bertholdt fought to fight the pain but this was too much. But he wasn’t going to give up. Orkimedes would have to try harder. Orkimedes must have thought that and Bertholdt didn’t know how but he managed to increase the output of his lightning.

_At this rate, I’ll be dead in seconds._

That was when he saw the explosions erupt on Orkimedes’s arm and body.

The lightning stopped as Bertholdt collapsed to the ground. The pain was gone but the aftermath was terrible. Bertholdt managed to move his eye to look where the explosions came from. In a huge cloud of dust, he saw the armored tanks of Armageddon and the remaining vehicles of the Orks charging towards Orkimedes, firing everything they had.

In the front, on the biggest tank Bertholdt had ever seen, Yarrick stood with his Power Klaw raised high as the armored forces continued to charge towards Orkimedes. With that, Orkimedes changed targets and began to move to meet them.

“BERT’OLDT!” Bertholdt instantly recognized the voice of Ghazghkull as he felt Krimson Killa land just above his nape. Afterwards. He felt Ghazghkull drop onto his nape and run over to his shoulder to jump off and land in front of his eye. “LIZZEN BERT’OLDT! WE’Z ‘AVE TO DEZTROY ORKIMEDES! DIS IZN’T JUST ABOUT ARMAGEDDON NOW! IF WE’Z DON’T ZTOP ‘IM, DA WORLD IZ DOOMED!”

……

“KEEP FIRING! IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR AND THE ONE WHO CREATES!” Yarrick shouted as he commanded the combined forces of human and Ork to continued firing at the large beast that was Orkimedes.

Cleary they got Orkimedes’s attention. It didn’t matter if he was a heretical abomination, an Ork was still an Ork and Yarrick knew Orks like the back of his hand. With his knowledge, he managed to peel Orkimedes away from the skinless giant and got his focus on the tanks and vehicles.

That was also the bad thing. When an Ork was angry, it would make rash decisions and erratically attack its opponent. Normally, that would be how Yarrick killed one, but it was different when the Ork was the size of a mountain and harnessed the power of the Warp. With an enraged roar, lightning erupted from Orkimedes’s body and was pointed at the approaching vehicles.

It was chaos. Lightning struck everywhere, claiming the lives of both Ork and Terran. Ork buggies were disintegrated, tanks exploded, and lifeforms were consumed by the powerful energy. Screams and cries filled the air around Yarrick. But Yarrick ordered them to keep going and to continue firing.

He had no idea if this plan was going to work. Not only did he have to rely on Ghazghkull to inform the skinless beast, (that he could apparently talk to) but the beast had to play its part. What worried him was that the giant looked close to death and at this rate, it wouldn’t last much longer.

He looked over to see Ghazghkull flying over to the beast. That was good and he was glad that Orkimedes didn’t see him. He hated to say it but the giant and Ghazghkull were the only hope that Armageddon had in defeating Orkimedes. No matter how many Imperial rounds and guns they had, Orkimedes would never fall to them. He would just shake it off and continue wiping everything out. Only Ghazghkull and the skinless giant had a connection to the Warp and in the concept of fighting fire with fire, they were the best candidates to end Orkimedes.

But in order to give them time, Yarrick knew that he had to draw Orkimedes away. And that meant a sacrifice play to lure Orkimedes’s attention away from them. Yarrick knew that he would not live through this.

Luckily, he ordered Severina to command the men on the ground to stay in the trenches in case the plan failed. He also wanted to spare Severina from this operation. Yarrick had taken many fathers and mothers from their children and families. All on his crusade to protect Armageddon and annihilate the Orks. Maybe it was selfish for him to protect Severina but he pushed the thought out of his mind.

Lightning crackled from the sky as another volley of bolts flew from the sky, crashing into those unlucky to be caught by them. More explosions riddled the battlefield as the force of vehicles continued to get closer to the behemoth.

“Sir,” the tank commander Ladarius Pask opened the hatch, “you have not ordered the Baneblade to fire yet. The Mega Battle Cannon is ready, but we only have one shot. When do we fire?”

“Hold fire, Pask! I will order you to fire when it is time to fire. So, keep your focus and continue driving. Do not question my orders again!” Yarrick was convinced that Pask got the point. Secretly, Yarrick was glad Pask was piloting. He is currently the best tank ace of Armageddon and one of the best in the Imperium. If anyone could pull the shot off, it would be him.

As the armored force continued to fire at Orkimedes, Yarrick held his Power Klaw as he again motioned the Orks and Terrans forward. He shouted with zeal and courage as he demanded those that rode with him to show no fear as the charged to their impending deaths.

_I have protected Armageddon for years. I have not let it fall and I won’t. As long as I live, breathe, and pray, no Ork or foul xeno or heretic will ever take my city._

Closer and closer did Yarrick get to Orkimedes and as he continued his suicidal plan, the majority of his comrades had died and turned to dust. But still Yarrick pressed forward with his and Ghazghkull’s risk-filled plan.

He just had to hold off the monster a little longer.

Then the lightning came. Straight from Orkimedes’s powerful fist did the hideous energy emerge as it hit the Baneblade and everything around it. Yarrick screamed as his Power Klaw burst from explosion as the tank crew screamed in agony within the tank.

Yarrick fell on the top of the Baneblade as he held the stump that used to be his arm. He roared in pain as he clenched it. But pain was not going to stop him. Yarrick was determined to see this through.

He then slammed his foot loudly on the top of the large tank. “Pask! Are you still in there?”

“Yes,” a mumbled sound came from the tank, “but the rest of the crew is dead. I’m driving right now but I can’t aim the cannon.”

“Any other damage?”

“Affirmative my Lord Commissar. The blast ruptured some of the insides of the tank. The lightning got into our engines and valves. We are leaking gas. Now if we fire the cannon, we will go up in flames.”

Yarrick gritted his teeth. _So that’s how it is going to be._ “Pask, I’ll take the cannon. We cannot get hit again by Orkimedes. Understand?”

“Yessir!”

Impressed by the courage of his pilot, Yarrick slowly made his way to the cannoneer’s station. As he climbed to the top of the cannon with his one hand, he opened the hatch to be greeted by a fried Guardsman in the seat. Disgusted and angered, he pulled the corpse out of the seat and threw him off. Yarrick then situated himself in the seat and placed his one hand on the controls. It wasn’t hard to turn as the cannon was easily piloted with one arm.

As explosions and cries of death erupted around him, Yarrick took a deep breath.

_All I need is one shot. Then it will be up to you Ghaz. I’m trusting you to save my home just you are with Ullanor._

……

Bert’oldt still looked dazed from the fight he was having with Orkimedes. Though Ghazghkull would have preferred that Bert’oldt sit the rest of this out, he knew that only with Bert’oldt’s help could Orkimedes be stopped. But he had to figure out how to get him back in the game

Bert’oldt was still weak. He looked spent and the majority of his mass had evaporated. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to get up and Ghazghkull was sure there was no way he could transform again. He was certain that the strain would kill him.

 _Wat do I do? Bert’oldt doesn’t look like he can lazt much longa. Wiff’out a boost, he be as gud as dead._ Ghazghkull continued to search his brain and mind for answers but he wasn’t coming up with anything. Bert’oldt was slow to raise his body from the ground but the groaning that came from the Kolossal was coated with pain.

He was starting to get frustrated. Some Warlord he was turning out to be. He then felt a shiver amongst his biological arm. He raised it in front of him to see the green lightning of the Waaagh running across his arm.

_“I’ll be with you every step of the way just as Grimgor is.”_

The words that Wurrzag spoke to him before he sacrificed his life ran through his mind. Ghazghkull then looked at the struggling Bert’oldt again as he tried to get up but easily fell down on his knees.

_Dat’s wat I ‘ave to do._

“DON’T WORRY! I MIGHT ‘AVE A WAY TO POWA’ YUZ UP!” Bert’oldt’s colossal eye looked at him in confusion. “DIZ WON’T ‘URT A BIT!” Ghazghkull then looked at his hands. “At least I hope not,” he said softly.

Ghazghkull then walked right in front of Bert’oldt’s face and Bert’oldt could tell that he was taking some deep breaths. Ghazghkull needed to access the Waaagh. If he could somehow manipulate it to revive Bert’oldt, the Yarrick’s plan would have a better chance of succeeding.

But first, he had to access the Waaagh. It was easy for Orks to use the Waaagh in battle but to enter the Waaagh as a whole, Ghazghkull knew no one who could do it besides Wurrzag. Once again, he wracked his thoughts for answers but could only remember observations of Wurrzag mediating and being in his trance.

He drowned out the noises of battle as he calmed himself and breathed slowly. Doing his best to mimic the stance Wurrzag would take, he sat down and crossed his legs. It was hard to do it with more than half of his body being mechanical. After he was settled, he continued to cancel out the noises around him as he concentrated on the electricity buzzing around his hand.

Light green lightning began to crackle around his body. As he stood unmoving, more and more electricity surrounded him as his body began to glow a light green color. He began to mutter prays and chants to the One Who Creates in hopes he was listening and that this wouldn’t go wrong.

Much to his and Bert’oldt’s surprise, Ghazghkull began to levitate above the ground, electricity flowing around him like a small tornado. He then also looked to the sky and after a few minutes of last minue thinking, he closed his eyes.

Ghazghkull then opened his eyes. When he opened them, he found he was no longer in the normal realm, but in the realm of the Waaagh. The place was surreal. There was nothing around him but empty green space. No objects, no weapons, and no terrain. He was just there floating in the middle of nowhere.

_What do I’z do now? I need to call on da powa’ of da Waaagh but how?_

Ghazghkull let himself float around the empty space. He continued to look around to see if there was anything that could help him. But as he thought, there was nothing in sight.

_No. Dis cannot be it. Dere has to be some’ding ‘ere dat can ‘elp me. I need to ‘elp Bert’oldt in order to defeat Orkimedes. But dere is no’fing ‘ere. NO’FING!_

_That is where you are wrong Ghazghkull._

Ghazghkull turned to see the shining figure of Wurrzag walking towards him. Ghazghkull couldn’t believe his eyes. His deceased friend was here with him. He couldn’t believe it. Even when he remembered that Wurrzag was with him, he still thought his eyes were deceiving him.

 _Welcome to the Waaagh. It is beautiful isn’t it?_ He spread his arms as he motioned for Ghazghkull to look around. _Here lies the power of the Orks and the One Who Creates. This was where the God Titan formed the first of our kind. And it is here that you will learn the power of the Waaagh just like I did._

 _But ‘ow?_ Ghazghkull telepathically asked, _Orkimedes is uzing da powa’ of da Waaagh to deztroy all. I know da powa’ connects da Orks to each otha’ and makes dings stronga’ but Orkimedes haz taken dat. Wat gud is da Waaagh now?_

 _I can’t believe yuz forgotten brudda._ Ghazghkull couldn’t believe his ears. He turned to find his friend and mountain-brudda walking towards him with a smile on his face. _Like me, who also believed da Waaagh to be wielded as a weapon. But wat it be iz more beauti’phul den dat,_ said Gorbad. _I’z just wish I coulda zeen it before._

 _It is life. Here in this realm, the Waaagh is the source of life for the Orks. The power to feel, the power to fight, and the power to become,_ Wurrzag stated telepathically. _But what it is really is the source of unity. The true strength of the Orks._

 _When da Orks come togetha,_ Gorbad began, _that is when dey are the strongest. The Waaagh connectz wiff un’ anotha’ and dat be the greatest ding da Orks can uze. ‘Aving eac otha’z back is da true powa, just like yuz and me. Just like yuz and da boy._

 _But wat can I do wiff it? I can try to ‘eal Bert’oldt like yuz did me but I’z don’t know if I can. If I can’t do dat, we need zome’ding betta’. We’z need da Ork Titan. Only it can defeat Orkimedes now._ Ghazghkull looked down in frustration and sadness. _I can’t do dis. We’z need Grimgor. I… I need Grimgor._

 _Yuz do not need me, Ghazghkull._ Ghazghkull looked to see a shining light in the distance. It was so bright that Ghazghkull had to cover his eyes. As the light faded away, Ghazghkull couldn’t handle holding back his shock and emotion any longer. He fell to his knees on what seemed to be an invisible platform as Grimgor Ironhide walked towards him. _And ztop weeping like a grot. Yuz can do dis._

_Grimgor?_

_Yes Ghaz. I am ‘ere._ Grimgor went over and pressed his mighty hand on Ghazghkull’s shoulder. _Yuz truly are da biggest of dem all. Yuz bigga den me now._

 _No. I am not. I ‘ave failed zo many times. If yuz were ‘ere, ya would ‘ave figured out da best way to ‘andle dis. Look what iz ‘appenin. Dis be all my fault. I’z need ya ‘elp. I need da Ork Titan,_ Ghazghkull pleaded as he looked at Grimgor.

 _Ah, you would ‘ave been da perfect zuccezzor. Yuz ‘ave da passion._ Grimgor helped Ghazghkull to his feet. _But da Ork Titan belongz to zomeone elze now. Zomeone who’z passion and determination can neva’ be matched._

Ghazghkull did not know what to say. The Ork Titan had already been handed to a chosen successor. Worse, it wasn’t in the hands of the Orks. In the time the Ork Titan was needed most, it was in the hands of another.

_Den wat can be done?_

_Call upon da powa’ of da Waaagh,_ Grimgor said as he motioned to the immense atmosphere of the realm. _Dis be where da Waaagh of every Ork dat lives now lies. From ‘ere, yuz can communicate with every Ork. Dis is da place where you unite da Orks once and for all. Den yuz can uze da powa’ to defeat Orkimedes and save Ullanor. Yuz and da Boy Who Wields da Lightning._

 _But ‘ow? Wat if dey don’t follow me? Wat if day don’t believe in me like they did yuz?_ Ghazghkull looked pleadingly at his idol. _Wat if I can’t do it? I am not yuz Grimgor._

 _Have you not listened to me all that time when I was alive? If only I hit you harder with my stick._ Wurrzag said loudly. _You can never be like Grimgor. Because you are Ghazghkull; the Ork of Metal and Honor. That is what makes you strong. Your sense of justice, your yearning for unity, your fight for honor. That is what makes you unique._

 _Ztop doubtin’ yaself like I did,_ Gorbad said as he got closer to Ghazghkull. _I’z did and look where dat got me. I tried ‘ard to be like Grimgor but I lost zight of who I was. When I finally realized, it be too loate for me._

Ghazghkull didn’t know what to say. Why him? Why was he the one that had to carry this burden? He was unworthy. He was not meant to play this role.

 _Da One Who Creates choze yuz for a reason. And dat waz because yuz are Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. Zo ztop tryin’ to be me and be yuz._ Grimgor let go of Ghazghkull as he turned to walk away. _No Ork can do dis but yuz. Dis waz da biggest reazon why I ‘ad to leave. Because if I ztayed, ya would ‘ave neva’ grown into da Ork Ullanor needz. Da One Who Creates chose yuz to lead da Orks until da end. I just zimply ‘ad to point yuz on ya way, just like Wurrzag and Gorbad did._

With that, Grimgor began walking away from the stunned Ghazghkull. Gorbad and Wurrzag nodded to each other and began to follow Grimgor. Once again, the green light shined in the distance as they walked towards it.

Ghazghkull tried to race after them but something was holding him back. It was as if he was frozen and couldn’t go anywhere.

They stopped and then turned back to face him. _Our role in ya ztory is done. We ‘ave phul’philled our destiny. Da Eternal Battlefield await us. Do not forget Ghaz. We will always watch ova’ yuz. And when da End Times are done, we will be ‘ere waitin’ for yuz._ With Grimgor’s final words, the light consumed the three of them and as it faded, they were no longer there.

Ghazghkull felt a tear escape his biological eye. Ghazghkull roared a sad roar as he fell to his hands and knees on the invisible floor. Almost immediately after it left his face, Ghazghkull clenched his biological and mechanical fist as he began to calm his mind. _I can do dis. Dey are right._

_Failure haz always been ma fear. But it be time dat I conquer it. Juzt like Grimgor did on da mountain. Like Gorbad did wiff Krimson Killa. It be time to climb ma mountain. I may not be da Warlord Ullanor deservez, but if it wantz me, I’ll be da ‘un it needz._

He crossed his legs as if he was mediating and began to focus. He didn’t know how but he felt like he was actually reaching out to every single Ork. He could feel what they were thinking and who they were feeling. He could feel their desires and their fighting spirits. He knew then that he was in the minds of every Ork.

_Orks of Ullanor. ‘Ere we’z ztand once again on da brink of destruction. Orkimedes haz revealed his true intent’shions. He will uze da harnessed Waaagh energies he ripped from Orks to destroy da world._

_I knowz yuz all be scattered and zuspicious of ya rivalrous tribes and klans. But none of dat matta’z anymore. We must unite as a whole. We ‘ave been estranged for too long. I don’t ask for yuz to fight or to die for me, but I ask for your ‘elp. Lend me ya strength, lend me ya belief, lend me ya fightin’ spirit. With it I will zave dis world and our ‘ome._

As he spoke, clusters of lightning began to form all around Ghazghkull and the calm atmosphere turned into a power zone. It began to flow around Ghazghkull as he continued to speak telepathically to his race.

_Believe in me. Put ya faith and trust in me and I promise dis. Dat I will make da Orks great again. Afta’ we zave dis world, we will go to fight da true enemy and ‘ave many glorious fights and victories. But right now, I ask of you; will you follow me?_

Ghazghkull closed his eyes once he found that the lightning around him charged towards him and entered his body. It didn’t feel painful but instead it felt relieving and refreshing. With determination he closed his eyes once again.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see his reflection from Bert’oldt’s big eyes. Ghazghkull could see his eyes were glowing. He then looked around him to find that he continued to levitate higher as he noticed that he was generating his own lightning storm.

As the lightning crackled and sparked around Gitsnik, Ghazghkull looked towards Bert’oldt who was still shocked at what was happening. With a loud war cry, he pointed Gitsnik at Bert’oldt and commanded the green lightning to flow towards Bert’oldt’s nape.

……

Bertholdt wanted to tell Ghazghkull that he was crazy. He didn’t know what exactly he was thinking but sending tons of lightning towards him didn’t seem like a plan at all.

When the lightning hit his nape, Bertholdt prepared for the worst. But for some reason, he did not feel pain. He looked at his body within his nape and found that his body was glowing in a mix of yellow and light green. Suddenly, he found himself being pulled out of his nape and began floating in the air.

Bertholdt looked across the battlefield. He could the smoke and fires of the many armored vehicles that attempted to charge Orkimedes. From what he could tell, there were very few of them left including Yarrick’s giant tank. However, Bertholdt couldn’t see Yarrick. He wondered where he was and hoped he wasn’t dead.

As he flew higher and higher into the shy with the help of the lightning, he felt his energy returning to him as if he was getting a second wind. He was feeling rejuvenated like he had just gotten out of a hot bath. The feeling was great as he felt his power returning to him. He had no idea just how Ghazghkull pulled this off, but he had to admit, this was incredible.

Ghazghkull looked up at him with a confident look on his face. Bertholdt could tell that he knew what Ghazghkull was thinking and Bertholdt was happy to oblige. With a nod, Bertholdt bit into his hand and felt the familiar feeling of transforming into the Colossal Titan.

……

Yarrick continued to do his best to ignore the growing pain that was consuming him. The loss of his arm still hurt tremendously but he continued to push the thought of pain out of his mind. If he succumbed to the pain, then he would miss his shot

They were close. Orkimedes was only a good two miles away. Pask continued to ask when he was going to fire but Yarrick ignored him. He was only going to get one shot at this. He knew that this attack would temporarily weaken Orkimedes with the powerful blast of the Mega Battle Cannon of the Baneblade. With it, Ghazghkull and the creature might have a better chance.

It was just him and Pask now. All the other vehicles had been destroyed but they left an impact on Orkimedes. Among his rocky surface, multiple cracks and craters riddled his body and he could tell Orkimedes was feeling it.

It was simply because Orkimedes was getting angrier.

As Pask drove the Banebalde closer, he noticed something in the distance behind Orkimedes. Yarrick couldn’t explain it but it looked like a small lightning storm. _Ghazghkull_ , Yarrick thought as he smiled. Ghazghkull must have figured something out. There was still hope for his home to survive. Maybe it was false or untrue, but with the way things were going, he’d rather believe the former than the latter.

Orkimedes roared as the Baneblade got closer and closer. Orkimedes raised his fist high, ready to smash the approaching tank. That was when yellow and green lightning erupts from behind Orkimedes, causing Orkimedes to freeze and turn around. Yarrick smiled as he witnessed a skinless fist appear from the smoke and land a hit on Orkimedes’s jaw.

Successfully stunning him, the skinless giant took advantage and wrapped his long arms around Orkimedes’s arms, holding them behind his back. That left the middle area open for the Baneblade.

 _Now is the time._ With conviction, he aimed the cannon directly at the center of Orkimedes’s large chest. _The Earthshaker round is known to cause tremors in the ground when it hits. If it is effective against the ground, then it will be devastating to a monster made of the earth._

It was hard once again to move the cannon into the perfect position but Yarrick managed to do that. The cannon was ready to fire at Orkimedes. Yarrick then opened the hatch and stood up from his seat. He then looked behind him to look at his city for what was possibly going to be the last time.

 _Severina,_ he thought, _I leave my station and role as my home’s protector to you. There is no finer person to take up my role. I pray to the God-Emperor that will be easier for you than it was for me._

He took a deep breath that was filled with a mix of happiness and sorrow. _Goodbye Armageddon. May you stand for a thousand more years._

He then turned and hovered his hand over the trigger. _I hope I made you proud father. In this final moment, I avenge you and mother._

Yarrick grabbed the trigger and pressed the button, firing the Earthshaker round straight towards the beast that was Orkimedes. With a huge boom, the round exploded and sent cracks and tremors throughout the body of Orkimedes.

That was the last thing he saw before the sparks met with the leaking gas and exploded the tank.

……

On the head of the Kolossal Titan, Ghazghkull saw the huge tank explode after firing the only ammunition it had at Orkimedes. Though Yarrick and he never got along that well and were always trying to kill each other, Ghazghkull was happy Yarrick finally found peace.

Those thoughts escaped his head as the Earthshaker round slammed into Orkimedes, creating a huge explosion and booming sound. Orkimedes roared his loudest roar he had heard all day, clearly in pain.

Angrily, he shook Bert’oldt off of him as he fell to his knees and gripped his chest. But that didn’t stop Bert’oldt as he leaned on of his huge feet back, causing Ghazghkull to clamp his Power Klaw on Bert’oldt’s muscles. With a snort of steam from the Kolossal’s nose, Bert’oldt landed his foot in the stomach of Orkimedes. Chunks of rock and tech burst from Orkimedes as the rock giant was sent onto his back.

Ghazghkull couldn’t help but smile at the pain Orkimedes was feeling. The Ork has been more than just a nuisance. Orkimedes was the reason why Ghazghkull lost everything and why Ullanor was close to destruction. No matter how powerful Orkimedes was, Ghazghkull swore to himself that he would take Orkimedes’s head himself.

Orkimedes slowly began to rise, exposing the massive wound on his monstrous chest. A huge crater lay in the middle of his chest, surrounded by cracks colored with dark green lightning. Unlike the other wounds that had healed instantly, this one didn’t seem to be recovering.

Ghazghkull then looked at the shape of Bert’oldt’s Kolossal Titan. It wasn’t as big as it was when the battle first started. But it was what they had to work with, and it was certain better than nothing. All they needed now was to end Orkimedes here and now.

Orkimedes roared as Bert’oldt raised his fists as Ghazghkull whistled to summon Krimson Killa. It didn’t take long for the wyvern to land on Bert’oldt’s shoulder. Ghazghkull mounted on his friend and growled with conviction as Gitsnik radiated with Waaagh energy.

“YA READY BERT’OLDT?”

Bert’oldt responded with a nod and a growl. With that, Orkimedes angrily charged at Bert’oldt. Bert’oldt returned the challenge with a roar and readied himself. Body met body as the monsters reignited their clash in the battlefield.

……

Reiner continued to run through the forest as fast as he could. He didn’t know if Annie was following him or not but at this point, he didn’t really care.

He hurriedly followed the trail they made, trying to race back to the cabin as fast as possible. After he heard the scream and recognized it as Margaret’s, he didn’t hesitate to leave Annie with the hooded man. For one, he knew she could handle herself and two, she probably wasn’t going to change her course for them. Reiner got the feeling that she saw Jerrod and Margaret as dead weight.

 _What the hell is going on? Are they being attacked by an animal? Did the snatchers come back? What cou-_ Reiner found his foot tangled up in a branch and soon found himself tumbling down the hill and crashing against a tree. It hurt but on the bright side, it got him down there faster.

Reiner got up as quickly as he can, his wounds healing while he started sprinting again. He was getting closer to the cabin as memories he’d rather keep hidden resurfaced in his mind.

There he was, about to get eaten by the Titan. Still processing about how he wasn’t meant to be a Warrior, he remembered not being able to move with his feet rooted to the ground by fear. As death came to claim him, Marcel pushed him out of the way.

Then Marcel was consumed by the Titan. And Reiner, the one who should have died, lived on.

Ever since, he had promised to be more like Marcel. That he would watch out for Bertholdt and Annie. Promised that Reiner actually died and make seem that Marcel never died. He thought he was beginning to show progress of doing just that. Then Bertholdt was snatched and disappeared. Now here Reiner was running from the one clue they had on Bertholdt’s whereabouts.

But still Reiner didn’t care. He had grown fond of Margaret and Jerrod. These were not the devils he grew up hating. They were nice and were going to be good people when they grew up. They were people Reiner considered friends.

He hoped that the two were okay. He didn’t want to see anymore dead bodies.

 _You’re hesitant to kill the devils of this island?_ His mind flashed back to the day of Marcel’s death when they sat around the campfire. _Did you forget what those bastards did to us, to Marley?_

“Not now,” he said to himself as he pushed the traumatizing scene out of his mind.

Bursting through the forest and into the clearing, he stopped when he found himself a few feet from the house. The door was no longer on the house and instead was on the ground. That wasn’t a good sign. Quickly, Reiner rushed into the house to see if Jerrod and Margaret were still inside.

“Jerrod! Margaret!” he shouted in the house. He continued to panic as he began searching everywhere in the house. There was no trace of them, as if they disappeared. “Where are you?” he called out from within the house.

That’s when he noticed it. Blood. It looked fairly recent and it was leading to the room the two slept in last night. Gulping, he gathered his courage and burst into the room. What he saw sickened him.

It was Jerrod and Margaret. Their feet were tied to the ceiling as they hung upside down. Reiner managed to not throw up and tried very hard not to notice the huge puddle of blood underneath their hanging bodies. Both had their shirts off and large cuts were all over their chests. Blood ran down their bodies like rivers and Reiner found a deep slash across both of their throats.

But what was actually the most horrid of the scene was the fact that Jerrod and Margaret were holding hands. Jerrod’s right and Margaret’s left were tied together with their fingers somehow still intertwined.

Reiner then looked to see a symbol painted in blood on the ground underneath their hands. It was a large heart with a knife in the center, painted with the blood of the couple.

_Oh God. What monster did this?_

It all happened so fast. Before he knew it, a leather rope curled around Reiner’s neck and began to strangle him. Immediately he started to lose breath and when he tried, it hurt his throat since the whip was lashed.

“Stay still precious. You’re coming with me,” a feminine voice exclaimed as Reiner was viciously dragged away by his throat. No sooner did he find himself outside under the night sky again. Soon, he found himself face first on the ground as he felt the whip leave his throat.

Reiner swiftly tried to regain air through coughs and deep breathing. After he felt somewhat better, he turned to see who had dragged him out. It was truly unlike anything he had expected. In front of him were two women, that were wearing little to nothing on them. They wore plates to cover their breasts and on their lower section rested some small garments. They wore dangerous looking boots and around their waists was a collection of knifes, daggers, and a single whip. Reiner looked at their faces to see what he swore were the evilest faces he had ever seen.

The women were grinning with pure evil. Reiner swore that their teeth looked sharpened like the tips of arrows. Eyes filled with vile content stared at him while one of the women was licking her lips in a seductive manner.

“This one looks good. Maybe he will fetch a fine price,” one of the women chirped.

“What could he possibly do? He doesn’t look strong at all. We could take him to practice with,” the other women said with terrifying glee. “I’m sure our sisters would love to see him try to survive.”

“True, but he looks so delicious,” the first women said as she slowly approached a quivering Reiner. “I think I’ll take him to serve me.”

“That’s enough, girls. Tend to the other one and I don’t want a single cut on her or I am feeding you to Spite.”

Both of the girls whined as they stepped away from Reiner and walked away. After they left, Reiner followed the sound of clanking armor to see a very tall man walking towards him. It was dark so he couldn’t see him automatically but as he got closer, Reiner went from scared to terrified.

The tall man’s head was pure white. His face could be seen as if it were a terrifying ghost haunting the dark. Even worse, the man’s eyes were red as blood and glowed, sending more shivers through Reiner. His hair was long enough to cover a good portion of his shoulders and his smile was lined with sharp teeth. His armor was colored with the darkest black he had ever seen, and his armor was decorated with lethal spikes. A dark purple cape followed in his trail and on his waist was a long sword that was currently sheathed.

This was the devil he believed he had come to eliminate.

“I take it you found the toys my Wyches played with. I’m sorry you had to see that. Such a thing should not be seen by a child such as yourself,” the tall man said as he approached the terrified Warrior. “They seemed so innocent. I could tell they loved each other, and they would live a long life together.”

The tall man kneeled down and stopped when he was at eye level with Reiner. “But alas,” he said sarcastically, “we had to make sure they wouldn’t divulge anything about us to the public or our enemies. The runaway slaves had to be dealt with.”

“But… but they didn’t know anything,” Reiner said.

“I regret to say that you were right. They didn’t know a thing about us. All they knew about us was our name and the urban legends of us.” The tall man returned to his feet and began walking around Reiner. “Sadly, we couldn’t let them go after seeing our faces. But we put them out of their misery…… slowly.”

In anger, Reiner got up and charged at the man. The tall man smirked, and Reiner felt the painful kick of the man’s armored boot. “Vicious aren’t we?” the man chuckled as he watched Reiner get up and swing at him again. “Such ferocity and aggression.” The tall man dodged out of Reiner’s way as he fell to the ground. Reiner went to get up, but he felt the man grab his shoulders firmly. “It is like you have killed before,” the man whispered into his ear.

Reiner turned to swing again but he felt his feet being swept off the ground as he fell on his back. Reiner then went to get up but at his throat was the sword that the tall man had sheathed. Reiner looked up to see the tall man smiling maliciously.

“I’m done with the amusement. You and I have to talk, little one.”

……

Bertholdt managed to block yet another swing from Orkimedes’s large form as Bertholdt swung his other fist at his rocky shoulder. The blow wasn’t bad as it had an imprint of Bertholdt’s fist left in it, but he figured Orkimedes would easily shrug that off.

Bertholdt hated when he was right. To prove him right, Orkimedes growled and lightning shot from his eyes and hitting Bertholdt straight in the face. Bertholdt roared in pain as Orkimedes reared back his fist and sent another hard hit to Bertholdt’s Titan head.

Bertholdt staggered back as Orkimedes continued his streak of punches and lightning strikes. Bertholdt was doing his best to shake them off but the more he fought, the weaker he was getting. It wasn’t normal for him to transform twice in the same day and he could already feel the effects of it. _How do Annie and Reiner do this? No, how does Pieck manage to do this so many times?_

Answers did not fly at him but the fists of Orkimedes took their place. However, this time Bertholdt was ready and exploded in steam, sending Orkimedes’s fist back. Bertholdt took advantage and hooked his fist into Orkimedes’s exposed side. Rocks shattered as Bertholdt laid another hit on Orkimedes’s chest.

Bertholdt could tell that whatever Yarrick fired at Orkimedes had clearly weakened him. The explosion had sent tremors across the giant earth body of Orkimedes and it was not healing at all. Whenever Bertholdt hit the wound, Orkimedes would roar in agony and send Bertholdt back. While other areas healed slowly, the wound was not. Thankfully there was a weakness for Bertholdt and Ghazghkull to exploit.

The problem was Bertholdt was ripe with weaknesses.

Angry, Orkimedes launched an open hand at Bertholdt and clamped down on his shoulder. Bertholdt didn’t react fast enough and Orkimedes began to drain Bertholdt again of his power. Bertholdt gritted his teeth as he felt his life escaping him. He tried to force the hand off but find he didn’t have enough force to do so.

Thankfully, Ghazghkull swooped down with Krimson Killa and unleashed a power blast of lightning on Orkimedes. The fingers of Orkimedes’s hand exploded causing the giant to lose his grip on Bertholdt. With that, Bertholdt pushed Orkimedes away and stepped back to regain himself.

Since that weird trick performed by Ghazghkull, he seemed to have grown in power as he continued to shoot lightning and deliver powerful blows with Gitsnik on his hated enemy. Bertholdt was certainly glad that he was on his side.

But Bertholdt could tell that victory was slowly beginning to slip away from them. The more time they spent on fighting, it seemed that Orkimedes was only getting stronger and more erratic. Lightning spawned from Orkimedes more often and began striking out at random. He also seemed to be getting brighter and his rocky skin was becoming more colored. Not to mention he was becoming more berserk and frenzied as the battle continued. This was a clear sign that Orkimedes had lost whatever control he had, and it was just primal instinct at this point.

If this didn’t end soon, then Orkimedes would become invincible.

Bertholdt renewed his attack on Orkimedes. While Orkimedes was still trying to swat Ghazghkull away, Bertholdt came blazing in with steaming fists and relentless blows. Orkimedes did not like being on the defensive and he shot out his klaw arm and smacked Bertholdt across the head.

While he was dazed, Orkimedes shot past Ghazghkull and pounced on the Colossal Titan. The attack brought Bertholdt to one knee as he held out his melting arms to hold the stronger Orkimedes back as best as he could. But he could feel Orkimedes draining him and Bertholdt knew he didn’t have much left in him to keep fighting. Orkimedes probably figured that too as the monster lifted his foot and pushed Bertholdt to the ground.

He once again his klaw arm, about to fire his devastating barrage against him. Bertholdt did his best to brace for the attack but his Colossal form would not move. _Oh no,_ Bertholdt thought as dark green light began to emit from the massive power klaw.

That was when Krimson Killa slammed into the power klaw, sending its lightning close to Bertholdt. Angered, Orkimedes swiped at the beast but the wyvern was quick and dodged out of its way. Ghazghkull continued to fire lightning of his own at the beast. Orkimedes then loudly gurgled with what seemed like laughter and out of nowhere, his body burst out lightning and hit Krimson Killa.

 _Ghazghkull,_ Bertholdt thought as he tried desperately to get up. He was doing it but very slowly. He wasn’t going to get there in time to catch them.

He stopped in horror as Krimson Killa was grabbed by Orkimedes. Bertholdt reached out his hand to try to grab Krimson Killa but he and Ghazghkull were out of his grasp. Krimson Killa roared in anger as it struggled to release itself from the giant’s hand. It roared in pain as it began to be crushed. _NO!_ Bertholdt managed to get one foot on the ground as he continued to weakly rise, but he knew in his heart that he wouldn’t reach him and Ghazghkull.

With a roar, Orkimedes crushed Krimson Killa’s body and the mighty beast of the Orks fell silent. Bertholdt watched with horror as Orkimedes opened his bloody hand, dropping Krimson Killa. With a boom, Krimson Killa lie dead on the destroyed battlefield.

Bertholdt tried to summon his anger, his hate, his determination. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster enough to aid him in attacking the Mad Ork. With what looked like an evil grin, Orkimedes raised his mighty foot and squashed Krimson Killa.

Bertholdt stopped trying after that. _Ghazghkull, you can’t be dead. You can’t._ Bertholdt felt a tear swell in his Colossal’s eye as he fell to his knees with defeat and sadness. He had already lost Ghazghkull once but this time, he was taken right in front of him.

 _I lost. I failed. I am no hero._ Bertholdt continued to look at the remains of Krimson Killa as Orkimedes raised his power klaw, readying to fire at Bertholdt.

That was when lightning burst from the sky and slammed into Orkimedes’s klaw arm. Orkimedes roared in pain as the arm burst into pieces. Bertholdt didn’t know what happened but something just saved him. Or someone. That was when he saw a figure sprinting across the rocky surface of Orkimedes, slamming away at him with a battleaxe.

 _Ghazghkull_.

He was alive and still kicking. Bertholdt knew they had a chance. They could do this. _He_ could do this. If Ghazghkull was going to give it all, Bertholdt was going to do the same. Yelling in conviction and purpose within his nape, the Colossal Titan rose to its feet. With steam bursting from his back and legs, Bertholdt zoomed towards Orkimedes and slammed his fists into Orkimedes.

Orkimedes staggered back as the Warrior continued his onslaught of attacks on the Ork who killed populations of people, who breached Armageddon, who transformed Briggs. Bertholdt wasn’t going to stop until this menace was finally dead.

While Bertholdt and Orkimedes slowly exchanged hits again, Ghazghkull sped across Orkimedes’s body and continued smashing the ground with powerful lightning and power. Orkimedes was beginning to feel it as Bertholdt could feel him weakening. Bertholdt landed another good hit which sent Orkimedes staggering back. Bertholdt wasn’t going to let up and launched his fist at him again.

This time, Orkimedes was prepared and instead of blocking it, charged right at Bertholdt. Orkimedes slammed into Bertholdt and tackled him to the ground. The world quaked as the two giants fell to the ground together. As Bertholdt found himself on his back, he saw Orkimedes basically sitting on him.

Bertholdt quickly shot a fast jab at Orkimedes but the beast grabbed his hand. With a roar of anger, Orkimedes used his one arm to pull Bertholdt’s entire right arm off of the Colossal Titan. Both Bertholdt and the Colossal roared with pain as Orkimedes tossed the arm away from them. With another roar, the Mad Ork clamped down his arm and began siphoning what little energy Bertholdt had left.

Ghazghkull then landed on Bertholdt’s chest. He looked at Bertholdt with what Bertholdt could only make out as a confident smile. “BERT’OLDT! DIS BE WHERE WE FINISH DIS!” With that, Ghazghkull held up his battleaxe. “WAAAAAAAAAGH!” Hollering his battlecry, he charged towards the enormous figure of Orkimedes. Ghazghkull was charging straight for the chest wound with his axe blazing with lightning and electricity.

Orkimedes looked down in panic as he burst lightning out of his body to stop Ghazghkull but Ghazghkull only seemed to absorb the lightning. He then jumped a great height, as if the power of the Waaagh assisted him to do so. With another battle cry, Ghazghkull slammed Gitsnik into the chest wound, causing it to explode into multiple pieces.

Orkimedes let out a deafening roar as his chest began to collapse. That was when Bertholdt saw it, a weird combination of rock and machine in the middle of Orkimedes’s body. _The heart_. Bertholdt knew that this was truly the time to defeat Orkimedes. It was now or never and Bertholdt was the only one strong enough to destroy the heart.

Bertholdt focused all of his energy on moving his left arm and rearing it back. He thought of the promise he made to Marcel. Of his father dying in his bed. Of Reiner helping him up after falling down. Of Severina crying at the loss of Briggs. Of Annie giving him a smile that shot happiness through Bertholdt.

 _“You may have been bred from cruelty Bertholdt Hoover, but you came out with the biggest heart”_ Bertholdt looked down on his chest. As if it were magic, Marcellus Briggs seemed to appear like a ghost as Bertholdt remembered the talk they had in the mountains. _“That’s what us soldiers fight for. Our comrades and getting them home and hopefully a better and peaceful time. But most importantly, I’d like to think that heroes would do the same thing.”_ As he continued to rear his arm back for a final attack, Orkimedes burst into lightning, his body creating a massive lightning storm around him and Bertholdt. Lightning struck Bertholdt and the ground around them but Bertholdt ignored the pain as tears filled his eyes.

_“Be the hero I believe you can be.”_

With the loudest roar he ever made, Bertholdt launched his left arm into Orkimedes’s chest and grabbed his heart. Orkimedes looked down in what looked like panic as Bertholdt began to pull. With all his might, Bertholdt ripped the heart out of Orkimedes chest. With that, Orkimedes’s body began to glow with power and dark green energy as he roared with defeat.

With his promise kept, Bertholdt closed his eyes as Orkimedes exploded in a burst of light and electricity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baneblade:  
> Perhaps the biggest and most powerful tanks the Terran Imperium has in its arsenal, the Baneblades are a rarity to see as there are not many of them. Only to be used in dire situations, the Baneblades roll onto the battlefield unleashing maximum firepower in every shot from their mounted turrets and their primary weapon, the Mega Battle Cannon. Able to shake the ground with this weapon, any enemy of the Imperium fears this weapon of war as many of the Terrans call these tanks the true 'hammers of the Emperor.'
> 
> Psykers:  
> These strange men of the Imperium are actually some of the most powerful assets of the Terrans. Like the Weirdboys of the Orks, the Psykers are individuals who can harness the energies and powers of the Warp to assist their allies and protect themselves in battle. No one is certain how they can access the Warp or what the Warp really is but they are happy that the Psykers are on their side. Though the Terran Inquisition does keep their eyes on them as there have been cases where a Psyker grows drunk or mad with power and turns, which results in the Inquisition executing them on the spot.


End file.
